Britain - Brexit: EU's Barnier sees three Brexit scenarios as deadline looms

The European Union's Brexit negotiator told the 27 EU states staying on together that he saw three possible scenarios ahead:

1) A deal with Britain later on Tuesday

2) Another delay to Britain's departure

3) A "breakdown" of talks

This is according to EU diplomats..

 

Read more at:

https://www.euronews.com/2019/10/15/brexit-deal-still-possible-says-barnier-as-deadline-looms

BREXIT: EU negotiator Barnier not optimistic about presenting no-deal Brexit

EU negotiator Barnier 'not optimistic' about preventing no-deal Brexit

The European Union will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain, EU negotiator Michel Barnier said in an interview published Sunday as MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit prepared for a showdown week.

Read more at: 

https://www.france24.com/en/20190902-european-union-uk-michel-barnier-no-deal-brexit-irish-backstop

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Britain - EU Relations: EU negotiator Michel Barnier calls Boris Johnson′s Brexit stance ′unacceptable′

Since taking office on Wednesday and filling his Cabinet with hard-line Brexiteer politicians, Boris Johnson has insisted on striking a new deal with the European Union that would omit the so-called backstop for preventing a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the British territory of Northern Ireland.

In an email to national governments on Thursday, EU negotiator Michel Barnier wrote that Johnson's demand was "of course unacceptable and not within the mandate of the European Council."

"No deal will never be the EU's choice, but we all have to be ready for all scenarios," Barnier wrote. The EU had to be ready for  Johnson giving "priority" to planning for a no-deal exit, "partly to heap pressure on the unity" on the remaining 27 member states, he added.

Current President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed Barnier's comments he spoke with the new British premier on Thursday. "President Juncker listened to what Prime Minister Johnson had to say, reiterating the EU's position that the Withdrawal Agreement is the best and only agreement possible — in line with the European Council guidelines," Juncker's spokeswoman said after the telephone conversation.

"President Juncker reiterated that the Commission remains available over the coming weeks should the United Kingdom wish to hold talks and clarify its position in more detail," she said.

A spokesman for Johnson's office said the prime minister had told Juncker the backstop would have to be abolished to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Johnson also stated that the withdrawal agreement made between Prime Minister Theresa May and the US would not pass parliament in its current form.

Britain-EU Relations: EU negotiator Michel Barnier calls Boris Johnson′s Brexit stance ′unacceptable′ | News | DW | 25.07.2019

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EU-Britain Brexit Negotiations: EU Negotiator Michael Barnier says: "Negotiations are over"

Euronews exclusive: ‘Negotiations are over,’ says Michel Barnier on Brexit deal

Read more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/13/euronews-exclusive-negotiations-are-over-says-michel-barnier-on-brexit-deal

Britain -- Brexit: May on course of another BREXIT defeat after Barnier says NO to more changes to the agreement

'A slap in the face': Barnier sets May on course for Brexit defeat

Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/08/a-slap-in-the-face-barnier-sets-may-on-course-for-brexit-defeat?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger

Brexit Talks Brussels: Davis and Barnier hold press conference after first day of Brexit talks - by Andrew Sparrow

Brexit Negotiations get underway

The British newspaper The Guardian reports EU negotiator Michel Barnier said it will be up to the European council, led by Donald Tusk, to decide later if sufficient progress has been made on these issues to allow talks to move on to trade.

He said, in leaving the EU, Britain will no longer have the same rights and opportunities as EU members.

But the EU can build a new partnership with the UK, and that will contribute to stability on the continent.

He says “a fair deal is possible, and far better than no deal”.

The British negotiator David Davis said the talks were “very constructive”. He says a deal is “eminently achievable”.

Note EU-Digest: Britain is about to go down on its knees before Trump to beg for post Brexit trade access to the USA,  and is in no position to stand up to him and all his nonsensical "make America great again" ideology, as France, Germany and Italy have done, when they issued a powerful joint public statement against Trump policies. Bottom line, the best thing for Britain is to get back into the EU fold and face the global storm winds as a member of the EU. After all  - United we stand -Divided we fall.     

Read more: Davis and Barnier hold press conference after first day of Brexit talks - Politics live | Politics | The Guardian

EU unveils plan to ban banks' proprietary trading

The European Union has unveiled a much-delayed plan to rein in banks' proprietary trading and give supervisors the power to split off risky trading activities from safer lending operations in an effort to tackle the risks posed by banks that are deemed "too big to fail."

But following pressure from the banking industry, the proposal stops far short of a forced separation of retail banks from investment banks that was advocated 15 months ago by an EU-appointed group of experts. Officials said the plan was unlikely to be adopted any time soon given that the European Parliament--which must ratify any agreement--is set to dissolve ahead of elections in May. 

"It is certainly not satisfactory to bring something out when the last date for accepting legislation was last July," said Sharon Bowles, chairwoman of the European Parliament's influential economic affairs committee. "Nothing will happen on [this] in this Parliament." 

Michel Barnier, the EU commissioner responsible for the proposal, admitted Tuesday that the text wouldn't be voted on until the end of this year or early next year. 

The blueprint by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is the final piece in Europe's lengthy overhaul of its banking system in the wake of the financial crisis, a process that has encompassed fatter capital cushions, bonus caps for bankers and plans for a euro-zone banking union. 

Wednesday's proposal is aimed narrowly at a problem that hadn't yet been addressed by the cascade of new EU regulations--so-called "too-big-to-fail" banks, which benefit from lower funding costs because investors assume governments will bail them out rather than let them collapse. It seeks to harmonize laws that have already been adopted in several EU countries to deal with too-big-to-fail institutions, including Germany, France and the U.K. 

The commission plans to impose an outright ban on proprietary trading by about 30 of the region's biggest banks, following the example set by the Volcker rule in the U.S., although the latter will apply to all banks. Europe's 30 biggest lenders include HSBC in the U.K., Deutsche Bank and France's BNP Paribas.

Read more: EU unveils plan to ban banks' proprietary trading - MarketWatch

EU Barnier Lashes Out At S&P's Europe Ratings Downgrades - by Polly Hui

European Union Commissioner for the Internal Market Michel Barnier on Monday lashed out at Standard & Poor's move to downgrade nine of the euro zone's 17 member states at a time when those governments are working very hard to restore financial stability.

"I am surprised time and time again by the timing the rating agencies choose to make such announcements," Barnier told reporters in Hong Kong, adding that he wants to see rating firms operating with full transparency. "These rating agencies should have given their alerts five, ten years ago; not now," he said.

The commissioner added he wants the agencies to fully take into account such government efforts when issuing ratings. Nations in the euro zone are taking a "giant step" to improve governance through the regional integration of economic and financial policies, he said.
"This is not a crisis of the euro...The euro is here to stay," Barnier said.

For more: EU Barnier Lashes Out At S&P's Europe Ratings Downgrades - WSJ.com