Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

Brexit deal 'difficult but doable': diplomats

A Brexit deal when British prime minister Theresa May and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker meet in Brussels on Monday is "difficult but doable", diplomats and officials said on Sunday.

British prime minister Theresa May and European Council president Donald Tusk.
British prime minister Theresa May and European Council president Donald Tusk. Source: AAP

Key concerns over the Irish border and the rights of three million EU citizens living in Britain after it leaves the bloc are yet to be resolved, they said on Sunday on the eve of the crunch meeting.

The fact that Mr Juncker will meet members of the European Parliament before his lunch with Ms May is especially significant, given that they expressed fresh worries over citizens' rights, an issue previously thought to be fixed, they said.

"It will be difficult but doable if they [the British] are reasonable," a senior EU diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. "There are four or five final points that need to be negotiated."

Monday is the "absolute deadline" for Britain to make sufficient progress on divorce issues to unlock the next phase on trade talks, EU President Donald Tusk has said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Manfred Weber, the head of the European People's Party, the largest group in the European Parliament, said that recent progress on Britain's Brexit bill should not overshadow other outstanding problems.

"In Brexit negotiations, money is one of the problems, but it is not the biggest one," Mr Weber said in a statement.

"We are much more concerned about the fact that so far negotiations are stalled on the protection of EU citizens' rights after Brexit and on the Irish case."

The European Commission said Mr Juncker would meet the EU parliament's Brexit group led by former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt at 10am GMT on Monday, ahead of Mr Juncker's lunch with Ms May.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who will also attend the lunch along with Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr, will give his final assessment on Wednesday after discussing it with European commissioners, European sources said.

Ireland's demand that Brexit should not leave a "hard border" with British-ruled Northern Ireland has been a stumbling block, with Mr Tusk saying after talks with Irish Taoiseach – or prime minister – Leo Varadkar last week that the EU would not agree to open the next phase of talks unless Ireland fully agreed.

Mr Juncker also spoke to Mr Varadkar on Friday and "assured him that we are fully behind" Dublin, the EU diplomat told AFP.

The commission has been working on a "text" of an agreement on the Irish issue, which British negotiators have been kept aware of, the diplomat added.

"That can pave the way for something acceptable for the British," the diplomat said.

Most of the negotiations in recent weeks have not been with Brexit minister David Davis – a hardline Brexiteer with whom Barnier has had a testy relationship – but with Ms May's Brexit pointman, Olly Robbins, the diplomat said.

"The result tomorrow partly depends on whether the British have the political mandate. We hope they will."


3 min read

Published

Source: AFP, SBS



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world