- Title: EU's Barnier: 'Be patient, Brexit is like climbing a mountain'
- Date: 11th October 2019
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 11, 2019) (REUTERS) EU BREXIT NEGOTIATOR MICHEL BARNIER SPEAKING OUTSIDE EU COMMISSION BUILDING FOLLOWING HIS MEETING WITH BRITISH BREXIT SECRETARY STEPHEN BARCLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU CHIEF BREXIT NEGOTIATOR, MICHEL BARNIER, SAYING: "Just a few words. We had a constructive meeting with (British Brexit Secretary, Stephen) Barclay and the British (negotiating) team and now I am going to debrief the 27 ambassadors and the Brexit Steering Group of the Parliament. As I already said, Brexit is like climbing a mountain. We need vigilance, determination and patience. Thank you." VARIOUS OF BARNIER WALKING TOWARDS EUROPEAN COUNCIL BUILDING BARNIER ENTERING EU COUNCIL
- Embargoed: 25th October 2019 11:55
- Keywords: Brexit Withdrawal Agreement European Commission EU Deal Barnier Britain Meeting Barclay Brussels talks mountain negotiation
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0NLQH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Friday (October 11) said he had had a 'constructive' meeting with his British counterpart, Stephen Barclay.
Speaking to reporters as he left the meeting and went on to brief the 27 EU states staying on together, the former French foreign minister compared Brexit to 'climbing a mountain,' adding it required 'vigilance, determination and patience.'
The United Kingdom is due to leave the world's biggest trading bloc on Oct. 31 and despite the flurry of activity, it remains unclear on what terms it will leave or indeed whether it will do so at all.
An EU spokeswoman said they were working towards a deal, telling a regular news conference that 'if there is a will, there is of course a way.'
Earlier on Friday in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, European Council President Donald Tusk said he had received 'promising signals' from Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that a deal was still possible.
(Production: Bart Biesemans, Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf, Clement Rossignol) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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