Reuters reports, citing a senior EU diplomat on Barnier remarks
- Some member states believe there is still "important stuff to play for", so this isn't the moment to show softness
- On Friday, Barnier was neither pessimistic nor optimistic on prospects of a deal
- Today, Barnier implied getting closer to a deal but not at a huge rate
- EU envoys did not discuss idea of a short no-deal period if 31 Dec deadline missed
The takeaway here is that deadlines don't mean anything when it comes to Brexit. The first remark on not wanting to concede any position also shows that both sides are still seeing that the poker game will still drag on at least for the next few days, if not weeks.
