France on Tuesday welcomed a "positive momentum" in negotiations between the EU and London on Brexit and "hopes for an agreement by tonight," said the French presidency. "There is a possibility of agreement, it is recognized by all, we hope for an agreement but we do not know yet" and "we want a clear assessment by tonight" by the negotiator Michel Barnier, explained a adviser of the Elysee.
Ireland at the heart of the discussions
British and European negotiators are pushing the fires to try to close this deal for the summit of EU leaders from Thursday and until Friday in Brussels. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to honor his commitment to bring Britain out on October 31, and this willingness has helped to change the discussions.
More than three years after the 2016 British referendum, no agreement has yet been reached to avoid an acrimonious divorce. Opposing Theresa May's agreement to keep the UK in the EU's Customs Union until a new relationship between the two parties was concluded, Boris Johnson rejected it once he came to power and presented a new plan. The current discussions focus on two points of disagreement: how to avoid the return of a border between Ireland, an EU member, and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, while realizing customs controls, and the right of scrutiny granted to the Northern Ireland authorities on the divorce agreement.