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EU officials: No basis for 'meaningful' UK Brexit talks

06 August 2019 06:26 (UTC +04:00)

EU officials have said there is currently no basis for "meaningful discussions" with the UK over Brexit, APA reports citing BBC.

One negotiator said: "We are back where we were three years ago."

Diplomats from the other 27 EU member states were told on Monday that a no-deal scenario could only be avoided by making substantial changes to the plan on the table - which they could not accept.

The UK is currently set to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.

A plan had been negotiated between the EU and former Prime Minister Theresa May, but it was voted down by MPs three times.

The new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has pledged to "do or die", and leave by the deadline - even if it means without an agreement.

BC Brussels reporter Adam Fleming said the meeting between the officials and diplomats was a debrief from discussions last week between the EU, UK Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Mr Johnson's European envoy, David Frost.

Mr Frost reiterated the prime minister's stance that the backstop element of Mrs May's plan - which aims to prevent a hard border returning between Ireland and Northern Ireland - had to be abolished.

He also said Mr Johnson's new ministers were not bound by commitments made by the previous government.

One of the EU's Brexit negotiators told the meeting that the G7 summit in France at the end of August could mark the point where it became clear a no-deal Brexit was inevitable.

But a diplomat at the meeting told Adam Fleming the comments simply reflected the speech Mr Johnson gave in the Commons the day after he became prime minister.