Senior EU officials reject any compromise on Brexit deal, thwart May’s push for settlement
Senior European Union officials have rejected any possible compromise on the already agreed Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, countering British Prime Minister Theresa May’s push for new negotiations.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier rejected any additional negotiations over Brexit on Monday, noting that any alternative mechanism to the deal can be considered only after Britain leaves the EU.
Dialogue @EU27 continues #Brexit. Today in The Hague with @MinPres Mark Rutte: full agreement that Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened. Backstop = only operational solution to address Irish border issue today. EU ready to work on alternative solutions during transition. pic.twitter.com/YsCNI10K71
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) February 4, 2019
Head of the European Commission’s civil service Martin Selmayr also rejected reports that the EU would consider adding legally binding assurances to the original agreement.
On the EU side, nobody is considering this. Asked whether any assurance would help to get the Withdrawal Agreement through the Commons, the answers of MPs were ... inconclusive .... The meeting confirmed that the EU did well to start its no deal preparations in December 2017.
— Martin Selmayr (@MartinSelmayr) February 4, 2019
Selmayr further quipped at the claim, saying “the EU did well to start its no-deal preparations in December 2017.”
The statements came a day after May vowed to “battle” for a solution for her government’s embattled Brexit initiative in future talks with the EU.
May’s draft Brexit deal with the EU was rejected in the British parliament by a large majority on January 15. She has since then vowed to work with the EU to find a solution to the backstop problem.
The so-called backstop clause of the Brexit deal is an insurance policy designed to prevent the return of border checks between Ireland, which is an EU member, and British-ruled Northern Ireland.
Critics say the clause would undermine the UK’s sovereignty as it effectively separates Northern Ireland from the mainland Britain.
If May fails to reach any settlement over the backstop, Britain may leave the EU on March 29 without a deal.
A no-deal Brexit would reinstate a hard border between the two Irelands, three decades after checks and controls were removed as part of a historic deal signed between London and Dublin.
Speaking on Monday, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe claimed that Dublin had rejected London's attempts at bilateral border talks over the matter.
Donohoe insisted that Ireland will not engage in any negotiation process that leads to the implementation of a hard border.
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