Displaying items by tag: EU ambassadors

A leaked document has revealed that EU officials are making no-deal Brexit preparations due to ‘uncertainty’ over a deal passing through the House of Commons. EU ambassadors held a rare ‘closed session’ on 26 September, to discuss the prospect of Parliament rejecting the final divorce settlement. Officials will discuss mini-deals to keep aircraft flying, medicine supplies and ports moving in the event of a no-deal, as part of European Commission ‘contingency planning’. A restricted agenda states, ‘Preparedness work has to intensify in the months ahead at national as well as EU level, as uncertainty remains about the outcome of the negotiations and the ratification of a possible deal.’ Under such a scenario, Britain and the EU could do temporary deals, deferring ‘no deal’ problems, before permanent solutions are negotiated. France’s finance minister said, ‘There is something more important for us than the future of the UK, and that’s the future of the EU.’