Macron tells Johnson Brexit backstop is indispensable
2019-08-23 10:15:43 source：The Guardian
August 22, 2019
Emmanuel Macron has described the Irish backstop as “indispensable” to a Brexit deal and urged Boris Johnson to set out his proposed alternatives as soon as possible, as he met the British prime minister in Paris.
The French president told Johnson on Thursday that the EU would like “visibility” on London’s concrete proposals for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU within a month, echoing language used by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Wednesday.
Macron said he stood united with Merkel that the clock was ticking and that it was not possible to wait until the last minute to find a solution. He said the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, could be involved in finding an answer “without totally reshuffling the withdrawal agreement”.
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