'Miracles' required to progress Brexit talks on to trade next month - Juncker
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said that there would have to be ‘miracles’ for Brexit talks to progress to trade issues in October.
Juncker reiterated comments from other senior leaders in the EU that there could be no progress in the negotiations until there was an agreement on the settling of financial obligations.
Discussions on UK’s exit from the bloc have stalled in recent months, but a conciliatory speech from Theresa May in Florence last week has garnered hope that more progress can be made.
"At the end of this week I am saying that that there will be no sufficient progress from now until October unless miracles would happen,” Juncker said in a speech.
Juncker dampened optimism espoused by chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday, who said that there had been a ‘new dynamic’ to the talks this week since May’s speech.
Barnier said that while no deal could be agreed without closure on a financial settlement, there was renewed hope for progress.
“Theresa May’s speech made it possible to unblock the situation, to some extent. But . . . it will take weeks, or maybe even months before we will be able to say . . . there has been sufficient progress," Barnier said.