EU27 preparing to broaden Barnier’s mandate for 11th-hour Brexit deal
The leaders of the EU27 are poised to hand Michel Barnier a new mandate in a bid to secure a last minute deal on Brexit.
According to the FT, the leaders will discuss broadening the scope of the chief negotiator's framework at an informal summit in Salzburg, Austria, on 20 September before adopting the new guidelines at the October European Council.
It is hoped this will give Barnier and his counterpart Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, as well as chief EU adviser Olly Robbins, enough leeway to secure a deal at the special Brexit summit in November.
One source said at the time: “There is a route where the deal that isn’t actually a deal pleases everybody… Getting a deal through to transition they will have to have some form of words that both sides can claim is a win.
“But we’re in the world of fudge, and there’s plenty to go around… at the moment they just need to kick it on to give themselves some breathing space.”
Another source said both German and Irish policy makers were pushing for greater flexibility “just to get this done”.