Brexit Talks May Continue Until November

The European Union and Britain may not reach a post-Brexit agreement until November. One thing is clear, the EU is unwilling to accept a bad deal.

“There needs to be an agreement in the coming weeks. That means around the beginning of November,” said Clément Beaune, a junior French minister, according to Politico. “We must not lose our calm in the final days of negotiations because that is sometimes when bad concessions are made.”  

On Saturday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron made Brexit, along with Coronavirus, the center of a phone call.

According to a statement on the Prime Minister's Website,  [Johnson] set out the latest state of play in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU. He confirmed the UK’s commitment to exploring every avenue to reach an agreement. He underlined that a deal was better for both sides, but also that the UK was prepared to end the transition period on Australia-style terms if an agreement could not be found.

“The prime minister emphasized that progress must be made in the coming days to bridge the significant gaps, notably in the areas of fisheries and the level playing field, through the process of intensive talks between chief negotiators," the statement continued.

Previously, Johnson had implied that Britain would walk if a deal was not in place by Oct. 15th, which is the start of this week's EU Summit scheduled to take place on Thursday in Brussels. 

In the lead up to the Summit,  Johnson also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday and used the same talking points about leveling the playing field and the need for progress in coming days to "bridge the significant gaps."