Only four weeks until the EU summit – British Prime meets for the first time, EU Commission chief Juncker. Whether Boris Johnson is bringing to this Assembly to make concrete proposals for a solution to the Backstop problem?
The exact location of the meeting was treated as a secret state affair. What is clear is that there was lunch, and Boris Johnson, with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator, Michel Barnier met. And that of the EU visit of the British Prime Minister, takes place in Luxembourg and in Brussels.
The official explanation is that Juncker will then continue on to Strasbourg to the European Parliament. Unofficially, Johnson wants to avoid to travel like Theresa May to Brussels to seek concessions. Also Luxembourg, the seat of EU institutions, such as the British especially hated European court of justice. Johnson will speak in the afternoon at a press conference.
Meeting – outside – homey atmosphere: Johnson and Juncker in a Luxembourg Restaurant
Is Boris Johnson the incredible Hulk?
On the weekend of the British Premier was submerged in the political children’s hour. He compared himself with the Science-Fiction figure of the incredible Hulk, which is always insurmountable strongly when he learns of resistance. This could be a case of delusions of grandeur, or even a particularly absurd Form of British humour.
However, it is not the EU, which is providing the British with a new startup for an exit agreement resistance. It was his intra-party opponents and the fact that he has in the Parliament, no majority, and not sure it can be, who should agree a new Deal with the EU at all.
Boris Johnson (l.) and Ex-Prime Minister David Cameron used to be friends (archive image)
What relates to his personal credibility, as Johnson in the past few days, had to deep strokes of his predecessor David Cameron plugging. The accused in his just-released memories of betrayal and a lie: His former friend Boris didn’t believe in 2016 at all the Brexit, and just decided, “in order to promote his political career”. The fact was known, and Johnson fights well therefore to this day with the fervor of a convert for the Brexit.
The solution lies in Northern Ireland
Last signals from the London rumor mill claiming that Theresa may’s exit agreement was for the government broadly acceptable to the Backstop. This is the special arrangement for the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. A week ago, Johnson had spoken of a solution to this Problem could lie in a special scheme for Northern Ireland alone. This means that the EU could withdraw its original proposal, again from the drawer. If, however, the North plays Irish DUP, which opposed the idea on the knife, is doubtful. Maybe Johnson waived vote on your top ten, because to him anyway, the majority is missing.
Boris Johnson has, up to now, no solution for Ireland’s head of government Leo Varadkar of Europe
The solution provides that Northern Ireland would be in the customs Union and Parts of the internal market remain and a notional limit by the Irish sea. Controls and the construction of a real border between the two Parts would be unnecessary. Theresa May had declared categorically, no British Prime Minister could ever agree to that part of the UK would be so cleaved.
Competitor To The UK?
Boris Johnson seems to think relaxed about it. He has now proposed to hold the Agri – food regulations in Northern Ireland up to EU standards, in order to make controls unnecessary. “The Northern Irish are British,” he explained, “but the Northern Irish cows are Irish”. These products are, however, only 30 percent of cross-border trade, the Rest will wegmogeln the government in London somehow. “Trusted trader”programs, bar codes on products are scanned in the domestic and similar ideas belong to the so-called “alternative solutions”, which calls for London in a long time.
The EU, however, they offer little security for the protection of its internal market. Who should monitor such a process? Especially as the British side has now indicated that they wanted to in the regulation in the future away from EU Standards and the “level playing field”, the same basic conditions for companies. This makes the completion of a future free trade agreement after the Brexit much more complicated. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this in the past week that in the UK, a competitor could emerge, the plans to organise a competition with all means.
Smile for the cameras in Berlin in August: Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel
The Timing is almost impossible
Johnson wants to visit during the week, also to other European capitals, it is said from London. However, his diplomatic forays, as well as the recent visits to Berlin and Paris, are largely useless, as long as its present negotiators, no concrete proposals and no papers. The want, however, to avoid the Prime Minister, in order not to be of its opponents in the run-up to the Tory party of the day panned out.
Concretely, one could, it is so only afterwards, from about the 3. October. Then, only two weeks remain up to the summit. Within this time, the Deal would have to worked out, and in the 27 EU capitals to be approved. Because contrary to what Boris Johnson always claimed in the circles of the heads of government at the summit, not on the details negotiated, but only the thumb on the final agreement lowered or raised.
Riding the razor’s edge
Even a special summit at the end of next month, would make things a little better. Because then the time to whip the Deal by the Parliament, he lacked. Supposedly, he wants to create in the remaining ten days of the end of October. And anyway, he needed the support of a number of opposition members, because it is unclear how his “Spartan”, the Ultra-Brexiteers, the moderate Tory rebels and the Northern Irish DUP in voting behavior.
The Whole thing is a Ride on the razor blade, to detect the hardly, if he can go at all well. And then it is more uncertain whether Boris Johnson is negotiating seriously or only do so to push at the end of the blame for the Failure on the EU. In an Interview with the Daily Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister said that he wanted to apply for, in spite of the law against the No-Deal, in the case of the EU, no extension. That is, he wants to leave it in the total institutional quarrel with the Parliament to arrive and the country at 31. October, from the EU falls. The Irish Prime Leo Varadkar warned at the weekend again, the ideas of both sides apart, were still far. That seems to be currently the only realistic description of the situation.