Page 9 - aruba-today-20180630

A9
WORLD NEWS Saturday 30 June 2018

EU to UK: Produce 'realistic' Brexit plan or risk failure

By JILL LAWLESS able and realistic propos-
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- als," he said. "The time is
pean Union issued a stark very short."
assessment of the grid- Britain, meanwhile, is frus-
locked Brexit talks Friday, trated by what it sees as
saying there's been "no the bloc's inflexible ap-
substantial progress" on the proach in negotiations.
key issue of the Irish border EU leaders have warned,
and advising EU nations to repeatedly, that Britain
ramp up their preparations can't cherry-pick benefits
for the possibility that Britain of membership, such as ac-
could crash out of the bloc cess to the EU's single mar-
without a deal. ket of 500 million consum-
In conclusions at a Brussels ers, without accepting the
summit, the 27 other EU responsibilities that come
nations told the U.K. that with being in the bloc,
it must produce "realistic including allowing free
and workable proposals" movement of EU citizens to
for what kind of post-Brexit the U.K. Britain hopes to get
relationship it wants. tailor-made arrangements,
"There is a great deal of both on trade and on se-
work ahead and the most curity. At Thursday's summit
difficult tasks are still unre- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, dinner, May warned her EU
solved," European Council Friday, June 29, 2018. colleagues against shut-
chief Donald Tusk told re- Associated Press ting Britain out of key law-
porters. "This is the last call enforcement bodies after
to lay the cards on the ta- should "step up their work "huge and serious diver- Conservative administra- Brexit, saying that could en-
ble." on preparedness at all lev- gences remain, in particu- tion about how close a re- danger European security.
Brexit was relegated to a els and for all outcomes." lar on Ireland and Northern lationship to seek with the The stalemate in talks has
brief discussion at an EU The bloc said it was con- Ireland." He invited U.K. of- EU after Brexit. The British heightened fears in London
meeting whose main focus cerned "that no substan- ficials back to Brussels on leader is caught between and other European capi-
was to ease a European tial progress has yet been Monday for renewed talks. pro-EU parliamentarians tals of a "no-deal" Brexit, in
political crisis over migra- achieved on agreeing a Irish Prime Minister Leo who want to retain close which the U.K. crashes out
tion. backstop solution for Ire- Varadkar said there had economic ties with Britain's of the bloc with no new
With nine months until the land/Northern Ireland" — been "inadequate-slash-no biggest trading partner, framework for relations. EU
U.K. officially leaves in one of the thorniest issues in progress" on resolving the and pro-Brexit lawmakers officials worry that the time-
March, frustrated EU of- the divorce talks. border issue, and French who want a clean break so table the two sides have
ficials say divisions within Britain has promised to President Emmanuel Ma- Britain can strike new trade set themselves — to reach
the British government over maintain an invisible bor- cron said bluntly: "We can deals around the world. a divorce agreement by
Brexit are blocking progress der, free of customs posts no longer wait." British divisions look set to October so that EU nation-
on a divorce deal. and other infrastructure, The EU also said there was come to a head on July 6, al parliaments can ratify it
"To be frank, the over- between Northern Ireland no agreement yet on Gi- when May gathers her frac- before Britain leaves the
whelming feeling is that the and the Republic of Ireland braltar, the British enclave tious Cabinet at Chequers, bloc in March — is slipping
British give the impression — the U.K.'s only land fron- at the tip of the Iberian the prime minister's country out of reach.
that they are negotiating tier with an EU member. Peninsula. Spain has de- retreat, to try to draw up a Lithuanian President Dalia
more with the British than EU officials are impatient manded its return for cen- unified plan for future trade Grybauskaite said all in-
with the European Union," to hear detailed propos- turies. and security ties with the volved should work hard to
said Belgian Prime Minister als from Britain for how that British Prime Minister There- EU. avoid a no-deal scenario.
Charles Michel. can be achieved, given sa May insisted her nation Barnier said he was await- "It is in nobody's interests at
In its statement, the EU May's insistence that Britain was ready to "intensify and ing the position paper the all to have a hard landing,"
called for "intensified ef- will leave the EU's customs accelerate the pace of ne- U.K. government plans to she said.
forts" to get a deal, and union. gotiations." produce after the Cabinet Associated Press writers
said member states, EU in- EU chief Brexit negotiator At the heart of the Brexit im- meeting. Lorne Cook and Raf Casert
stitutions and businesses Michel Barnier said that passe is a split within May's "I hope it will contain work- contributed to this story.q