THE European Union is refusing to move on to the second phase of Brexit talks unless the Phase 1 agreement is put into law.
The last minute, early morning deal settled the divorce bill, the Irish border and EU citizens’ rights, with the hope negotiations can now move on to trade.
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Brexit secretary David Davis said the phase one Brexit deal wasn’t enforceable
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Prime Minister Theresa May shakes hands with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker
“EP text will now reflect this & insist agreement translated into legal text ASAP.”
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The letter shows the amendment, due to be ratified later this week
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Traffic crosses into Northern Ireland from the Republic alongside a Brexit Border poster
The EU draft text states that “all existing regulatory, budgetary, supervisory, judiciary and enforcement instruments and structures will apply” despite Britain not being part of the EU decision-making process.
Eurocrats are also likely to insist that, as a precondition to any trade deal, Britain must agree to what it terms a “level playing field mechanism” to prevent it offering tax breaks or subsidies in order to gain a competitive advantage over EU states.
‘Negotiations in the second phase can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken during the first phase are respected in full and translated faithfully in legal terms as quickly as possible.’
“Of course it’s legally enforceable under the withdrawal agreement, but even if that didn’t happen for some reason, if something went wrong, we would still be seeking to provide a frictionless, invisible border with Ireland. I was making the point it was much more than what’s just in the treaty, it’s what we want to do anyway.”
The EU27 are meeting today to decide whether sufficient progress has been made on Brexit talks.
Despite the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and its chief Brexit negotiator saying they believed enough had been done, the final decision lies with the member states.
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2 Comments on "EU digs heels in REFUSING to talk trade unless Brexit phase 1 deal put into LAW"
May has crumbled to every demand of the unelected corrupt eu so why wouldn’t she crumble to this latest demand. If she does she should put put in a strait jacket and dumped in the most obscure lunatic asylum we can find. I would have walked away as soon as they started this nonsense of demanding money with menaces and paying for something with no guarantees whatsoever, They must think we are crazy and with May as an example of stupidity in the extreme it is not surprising.
Verhofstadt is pushing the limit so far that eventually, even May must walk away.
It is easy for him and all the other loons in the EU Parliament if that should happen but I suspect every one of them will be off quite a few Corporate Christmas card lists if that should happen.
He is playing a very dangerous game.