EU's Juncker, May to meet Wednesday amid fears of Brexit extension
British Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to "take stock of the latest state of play on Brexit" with the head of the European Union's (EU) executive European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, a spokesperson of the latter said.
"The EU 27 will not reopen the withdrawal agreement. We cannot accept a time limit to the backstop or unilateral exit clause," said Margaritis Schinas, a spokesperson for the Commission, during a regular news briefing.
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Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is then due back in Brussels mid-week for more talks with the bloc's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
May's spokesperson said Tuesday the meeting is an important stage in Brexit negotiations with the European Union.
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves her official residence in London ahead of a vote on amendments to the Brexit withdrawal bill, February 14, 2019. /VCG Photo
"There is a process of engagement going on. Tomorrow is obviously a significant meeting between the prime minister and president Juncker as part of that process," the spokesperson told reporters, adding that if there was no vote on whether to approve a revised Brexit deal by next week, parliament would again have the chance to consider the next steps.
On Brexit issue, former EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso gave his wisdom that Britain is likely to delay Brexit and not leave the EU in March.
Barroso said Tuesday that the bloc would likely accept a request to the extension to sort out the details of departure.
"I think the most likely scenario is not to do that in March of this year. We need more... preparations," Barroso, who now serves as a non-executive chairman at Goldman Sachs, told Sky News when asked when if he thought Brexit would happen as currently scheduled on March 29.
"Even if there was a positive deal now, from a practical point of view, it's obvious that everything is not ready. So I think the right thing to do is to have some extension, and I believe that if the UK demands an extension of Article 50, European Union countries will naturally accept it."
"There is a process of engagement going on. Tomorrow is obviously a significant meeting between the prime minister and president Juncker as part of that process," the spokesperson told reporters, adding that if there was no vote on whether to approve a revised Brexit deal by next week, parliament would again have the chance to consider the next steps.