French President Emmanuel Macron has clearly rejected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans. Today, Johnson is expected to make an inaugural visit to Macron in Paris.
Macron warned Johnson that a trade deal with America could protect Britain from economic collapse: „Can the cost of a hard Brexit be offset by the US? No! „An employee of the French presidential office had previously stated that France now consider a hard Brexit likely.
Slight optimism at Merkel
Johnson’s demands for a renegotiation of the Brexit Treaty and, in particular, the waiver of the arrangements to set up border controls between Ireland and Northern Ireland were impracticable, Macron said. Should Britain leave the EU unregulated, it is due to the government in London and not to the European Union.
Johnson had already yesterday at the German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a tightening of negotiated by his predecessor Theresa May with the EU contract promulgated. If it does not come to that, Johnson wants to lead at the latest on 31 October Great Britain without Brexit contract from the European Union.
Merkel believes that a solution to the problem of Ireland until the planned withdrawal of the EU from Britain at the end of October is possible. The backstop was only intended as a transitional rule for the not finally resolved Ireland question, Merkel said. Both signaled optimism, but without making concrete progress.
Specific proposals required
Merkel called for concrete proposals on how to solve the border problem between Ireland and Great Britain, which is part of Great Britain, in the forthcoming Brexit. „Great Britain should also tell us what ideas it has,“ Merkel said.
Johnson reiterated: „The backstop has big, big shortcomings for a sovereign, democratic country like the UK. It just has to be canceled. „Johnson stressed that Britain also wanted a“ negotiated exit „from the EU and no unregulated Brexit. „We can do it,“ he added in German in reference to a sentence by Merkel in the refugee crisis.
