Barnier Warns of Poor Progress in Brexit Talks
- Negotiations seen unlikely to progress to trade in October
- EU says ‘can’t speculate’ on timetable of discussions
Michel Barnier
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The slow pace of Brexit negotiations means that sufficient progress is unlikely to be achieved by October to allow for discussions to start on the future relationship between the European Union and Britain, the bloc’s chief negotiator said, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Michel Barnier made the comments in Brussels on Wednesday in a meeting with ambassadors from the other 27 EU governments, according to the people, who requested anonymity because the talks were private. Barnier told attendants that a potential solution would be an extension of the first stage of the talks for a few months, according to one of the people.