Tusk Says Holding November 17-18 Brexit Summit To Be Decided In October

Faizan Hashmi Published September 20, 2018 | 07:53 PM

European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday said that holding the November extraordinary summit on Brexit would be decided in October based on the level of progress in the talks.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018) European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday said that holding the November extraordinary summit on Brexit would be decided in October based on the level of progress in the talks.

"In October we expect maximum progress and results in the brexit talks then we will decide whether conditions are there to call an extraordinary summit in November to finalize and formalize the deal," Tusk told reporters commenting on the results of the EU informal summit in Salzburg.

Later during the briefing he added that should the extraordinary summit take place it would be on November 17-18.

The president reconfirmed the EU position on the UK-proposed Chequers plan saying that it would not work.

"While there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic cooperation will not work," Tusk said.

The president stressed that there were certain areas where the European Union was not ready for a compromise like four fundamental freedoms and single market.

On July 6, the UK cabinet met at UK Prime Minister Theresa May's residence in Chequers and reached an agreement which marked, according to the UK government, a "substantial evolution" in the United Kingdom's position in the Brexit talks. The Chequers statement proposed the creation of a free trade area for goods and maintaining a "common rulebook" for all goods, including agricultural ones.

Tusk also expressed hope that the Issue of Irish border would be resolved in October.

"The Irish question remains our priority too ... The Irish questions needs something more than only good intentions, we need tough, clear and precise guarantees and this is why we need more time but our hope is that we will be ready with it in October," he noted.

The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in 2016, but the vote left the country divided almost equally into Remainers and Brexiteers.