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Courtesy of the Telegraph.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, is more optimistic about the chances of a successful UK-EU deal than ever before but warned against hardliners on both sides forcing a bare bones agreement. With just under a year until the 29 March 2019 Brexit deadline, he warned it was vital that the British government came forward with “serious proposals” to prevent a hard border in Ireland or risk the negotiations failing.
Mr Verhofstadt exclusively told The Telegraph that the Salisbury nerve agent attack proved that Britain and the EU needed to move quickly to forge close security and defence links after Brexit. “Much time has been wasted over the last year, but I am more hopeful than I have ever been that there will be a deal. Of course, we cannot afford to be complacent. It will be a rush against the clock,” the influential MEP, who has welcomed recent British efforts over citizens rights after Brexit, said. “There is a risk that hardliners on either side of the channel drive us to a bare bones deal, but ideology mustn't get in our way,” Mr Verhofstadt said. He said: “Events in Salisbury show there is a need for us to stand shoulder to shoulder against common threats to our values. Despite Jean Claude Juncker's letter of congratulations to Russian President Putin, EU countries have shown absolute solidarity with the UK.”
“Putin is testing the West and if we fail to stand up to him, he will be emboldened,” he added, “We must be prepared to work quickly after the European Parliament elections in 2019 to develop a close post-Brexit security and defence partnership.” The European Commission, which is leading negotiations on behalf of the EU, has said the Withdrawal Agreement must be finalised by October so there is time for governments and the European Parliament to ratify the agreement before Brexit Day. “The most pressing issue is to secure an agreement on a backstop solution to prevent any hardening of the Irish border before the summer,” said Mr Verhofstadt, who leads the liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament. This week in Brussels, British and EU negotiators were joined by Irish officials for the first time in a bid to hammer out a compromise over the “backstop clause” to prevent the return of customs checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Mrs May has ruled out the European Commission’s call to keep Northern Ireland in the single market and customs union if the UK’s preferred options of a free trade agreement or innovative technical solutions fail. Sources told The Telegraph last week that Britain has “a matter of weeks” to secure the Irish deal, so it can be approved at a June European Council meeting of EU leaders.
Mr Verhofstadt, an ardent Federalist who owns a Union Jack fridge, said: “There are many circles that still need to be squared. We look forward to more serious proposals from the UK Government on how to implement the commitments they have already made.”
The former prime minister of Belgium spearheaded a European Parliament resolution calling for the future relationship to be based on an association agreement, which is an EU treaty with non-EU countries. This established model could allow Britain to have an effectively bespoke relationship with the EU while quelling European fears over British “cherry-picking” but Mrs May would have to compromise on some Brexit red lines. “The European Parliament has shown it is willing to be flexible and come up with credible proposals,” Mr Verthofstadt, who recently pitched the idea to Mrs May, said. “I am hopeful the UK Government will seriously consider the European Parliament's proposal for a broad association agreement, which would allow us to stay close on a number of areas of cooperation, from research to defence,” he said.
