Only a month remains until October 31, the date set by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his country to leave the European Union, but it is not clear yet how and when Brexit will happen, European Commission Vice President for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis said on Monday.
"Just one month is left, but there really is still no clarity," Dombrovskis said in an interview with Latvian public television.
He noted that although Johnson does not want to ask the EU to delay Brexit, the parliament can force him to do it. "So a scenario in which Britain requests a delay cannot be excluded," he said.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves the hotel for a radio interview ahead of the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, Britain, September 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
"That is why it is difficult to predict the solution of this situation," admitted Dombrovskis, a former Latvian prime minister.
He emphasized that "one thing is clear—Brexit without a deal will be a negative scenario first of all for Britain but also for the EU, therefore we need to work to avoid it."
Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 with or without a deal. At the beginning of September, the British parliament passed a bill that allows forcing the prime minister to ask the EU to delay Brexit until January if no deal is reached.