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  • Brexit, Johnson: "Whatever happens, on October 31 we leave the EU"

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09 October 2019After the clash between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, spoke on the subject of Brexit: "It will be very difficult for the United Kingdom and the Union to reach a Brexit agreement before the October 31 deadline ".

Varadkar intervened in the broadcaster RTÉ explaining that "large gaps" remained between the two parties, with the last date and the no-deal approaching more and more. The Irish prime minister, in office since 2017, and Johnson should meet at the weekend for further Brexit talks and to discuss the backstop, the "safety net" on the border between Eire and Northern Ireland.

The possibility of extending Brexit
According to the Guardian newspaper, the European Union is ready to extend Brexit talks until next summer. The possible extension will be discussed on 17 and 18 October at the European Council where the 28 heads of state of the EU countries will meet. According to the sources cited, the natural deadline for extending Brexit would be June 2020.

The president of the European Parliament David Sassoli, after the meeting with Johnson, said that there are two alternatives to an agreement at this time: "The extension or no agreement", adding that the Parliament is open for referral, but that it must be requested by the United Kingdom. London responded to Brussels that it must "move quickly" to avoid leaving without an agreement at the end of the month. Johnson a week ago, at the Tory party congress in Manchester, had said: "Whatever happens, we leave the European Union on October 31".

In an interview with the French newspapers Les Echos and L'Opinion, the outgoing European Commission president, Jean-Claude Junker, said: "A Brexit without agreement would cause a UK decline and a sharp weakening of the fundamentals of growth on the continent ".