Brexit: London and the EU still give each other until Sunday

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have given themselves Wednesday to Sunday to arrive at a “firm decision on the future of the talks” post-Brexit, a source told Downing Street .

According to this source, the two leaders had at a dinner in Brussels a “frank discussion” and noted that a “very wide” gap still remains between London and Brussels. They agreed on the fact that the discussions must continue in the days to come, according to this source, stressing that Boris Johnson “does not want to leave any path towards an unexplored agreement”.

Very large gaps remain between the two parties and it is not yet clear whether these can be bridged. The Prime Minister and Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to continue discussions over the next few days between their negotiating teams, ”said a British source. They “agreed that by Sunday a firm decision should be taken on the future of the negotiations,” she added.

Fish on the menu

Boris Johnson arrived at the European Commission around 8:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT). He first met face-to-face with Ursula von der Leyen, before having dinner in the presence of a dozen guests, including the British negotiators, David Frost, and the European, Michel Barnier.

While fishing is one of the most controversial subjects of the negotiations, scallops and steam turbot were on the menu. Before their dinner, the two leaders briefly took off their anti-Covid masks, the time for a photo in front of the British and European flags, before launching “Let’s go! »In French, a smile on his face. This summit meeting came just three weeks before the final split between London and the European Union, after months of talks without progress and faced with the increased threat of failure with serious economic consequences.