(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders will meet in Brussels on Nov. 25 to formally sign off on a Brexit agreement, even as European Council President Donald Tusk cautioned that “extraordinary” developments could derail the timeline.
“The agreement is now being analyzed by all the member states,” Tusk told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. “I hope that there will not be too many comments,” he said after meeting EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. “If nothing extraordinary happens, we will hold a European Council meeting, in order to finalize and formalize the Brexit agreement.”
Prime Minister Theresa May won the backing from her Cabinet on Wednesday for a draft withdrawal treaty agreed between EU and British negotiators following months of acrimonious talks. Amid an escalating backlash from hardliners in her party, she warned of “difficult days ahead” as the deal needs to be approved by the U.K. Parliament in addition to EU member states.
Barnier said the agreement was “fair and balanced” and lays the groundwork for an “ambitious new partnership.” But he warned of the hard work to come.
“Our work is not finished,” he said. There's a “long road ahead of us on both sides.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Marine Strauss in Brussels at mstrauss30@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vidya Root at vroot@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Nikos Chrysoloras
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
