Prague, April 11 (CTK) – EU chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier will meet Czech PM Andrej Babis, ministers and lawmakers in Prague on Thursday to get them acquainted with the current state of the talks about Britain’s departure from the EU, the EC representation in Prague has said in a press release.
Along with Babis, whose ANO’s minority government resigned after it lost a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies in January, Barnier will meet Foreign Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO) and Industry and Trade Minister Tomas Huner (for ANO).
Britain will exit the EU in less than one year. However, the agreement on the Brexit conditions has not been completed yet.
“The main topic of his visit will be the current state of the negotiations about Brexit and its impact,” the European Commission (EC) Representation in the Czech Republic said on Barnier’s programme.
Barnier is also to meet deputies from the foreign affairs committee and senators from the EU affairs committee.
Babis met Barnier in January when he invited him to Prague.
Barnier has been European Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom Exiting the European Union since December 2016. The European Council, comprised of the heads of state and ministers of the EU27, gives him guidelines for the talks.
About a month ago, Barnier and his British counterpart David Davis announced that both negotiating teams had reached consensus on a major part of the agreement dubbed “an EU divorce deal.” It defines the Brexit conditions and the transition period.
The EU27 leaders approved the draft agreement then. However, they have not yet reached full accord. The regime along the border between Ireland and the British Northern Ireland seems to be the major obstacle.
Britain and the EU are yet to negotiate their relations after 2020, the first framework of which was outlined at the March EU summit.
