ZAGREB, October 18, 2018 – The offer made by the European Union to Great Britain in Brexit negotiations is good and generous and now it remains to be seen what is acceptable to the Britons considering the political situation in their country, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Brussels on Thursday before the start of the second day of the EU summit.
“I think the EU offer on the table is very good for the United Kingdom. At this moment it is more about what they can accept considering the political situation there. The EU offer is generous,” Plenković said.
During a working dinner on Wednesday evening, the leaders of the 27 member states discussed the state of play in negotiations on Britain’s departure from the Union. At the beginning of the gathering, British Prime Minister Theresa May addressed those present but did not present any new proposal that would push talks further after they hit a roadblock over the border on the Irish island.
The 27 leaders expressed their full confidence in the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and reiterated their unity.
According to sources close to European Council President Donald Tusk, the leaders of the EU called on Barnier to continue his efforts to reach an agreement. Before the working dinner, Barnier said he needed more time and that he would continue working calmly and patiently in the weeks ahead.
The EU insists that in the event of failure to reach a solution for the border with Northern Ireland, the part of the Irish island that belongs to the UK should remain within the EU customs union, which London considers unacceptable.
“We wanted to hear messages from Prime Minister May, and her main message is that the customs union in Northern Ireland is not acceptable. So if this model were applied, she would want it applied to the whole of the UK, and that would be a problem for other EU member states, because that would practically undermine the concept of the internal market, which is unacceptable,” the Croatian prime minister said. He said that the EU was ready to invest additional efforts in the negotiating process.
May said on Thursday she would be ready to consider a prolongation of the transitional period by several months.
