Macron says May’s Chequers Brexit blueprint ‘not acceptable’

© Joe Klamar, AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference in Salzburg, Austria, Sept. 20, 2018.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said British Prime Minister’s so-called Chequers plan for Brexit was not acceptable following two days of EU talks in the Austrian city of Salzburg.

While noting that the Chequers plan was “a good and brave step” by Britain’s May, the French president stressed that the blueprint was not a “take it or leave it” plan and that the bloc would “never accept a deal which would damage the EU and its integrity”.

Addressing a press conference after the bloc’s 27 leaders met — without May — Macron said “We are today at the hour of truth” and that the bloc expected “new British proposals in October”.

Tusk says Chequers plan ‘will not work’

The French president’s comments were echoed by EU President Donald Tusk, who also stated that May’s plan — which is named after the British prime minister’s official country residence — “will not work”.

Tusk told reporters that the Chequers plan for Brexit would undermine the bloc’s single market.

The Polish former leader said the atmosphere in talks between May and the other 27 leaders had been better than before but that stark differences remained on trade and on the question of the Irish border.

“It must be clear that there are some issues where we are not ready to compromise, first off the four fundamental freedoms, the single market, this is why we remain sceptical of Chequers,” Tusk said.

‘Irish question remains our priority’

“The Irish question remains our priority too and for this we need only goodwill — which we feel, the atmosphere was better than two or three weeks ago — but the Irish question needs something more than good intentions,” said Tusk.

Tusk’s comments came a day after May told EU leaders meeting in Salzburg that she will not accept an EU proposal that would keep Northern Ireland in a customs union with the bloc if there is no other agreed plan to avert a hard border.

But Ireland has the EU’s backing for its drive to ensure that the border does not once again become a cause of the north-south tension that bedevilled it in the last century.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tusk said, “We need tough, clear and precise guarantees. This is why we need more time, but we hope to be ready in October,” adding that the planned October 18 EU summit would be a “moment of truth”.

Both Tusk and summit host Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said a follow-on November emergency summit would only go ahead if enough progress is made by October to justify it.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

Source:.france24.com