SALZBURG, Austria (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday he would call an extra Brexit summit of European Union leaders around mid-November to finalize a deal with Britain.

Tusk told a news conference before chairing a summit of all 28 EU leaders in the Austrian city of Salzburg later on Wednesday:

“The Brexit negotiations are entering their decisive phase. Various scenarios are still possible today but I’d like to stress that some of Prime Minister May’s proposals from Chequers indicated positive evolution in the UK’s approach.”

Tusk said that went for the UK’s readiness to work closely with the EU on security and foreign policy after Brexit but stressed that Chequers proposals from premier Theresa May for the future Irish border and economic cooperation between the EU and Britain “will need to reworked and further negotiated”.

“Today there is perhaps more hope but there is surely less and less time,” Tusk added. “Every day that is left we must use for talks. I’d like to finalize them still this autumn,” he said. He would propose that the EU leaders hold another extra summit on Brexit around mid-November. </s> European Council President Donald Tusk says Britain's Brexit proposals on the Irish border need to be "reworked and further negotiated".

He was speaking ahead of a gathering of EU leaders in Austria, which'll be attended by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Mr Tusk said Brexit negotiations are entering their "decisive phase".

While he said "various scenarios" are still possible, there need to be changes to Britain's approach - particularly on the future of the Irish border and economic cooperation.

"Among other things, the readiness to cooperate closely in the area of security and foreign policy.

"On other issues, such as the Irish question, or the framework for economic cooperation, the UK's proposals will need to be reworked and further negotiated."

"Today there is perhaps more hope, but there is surely less and less time.

"Therefore, every day that is left, we must use for talks."

He's proposing to call an additional summit around mid-November to finalise a Brexit deal. </s> BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain and European Union political leaders have agreed in principle to a text setting out their future relationship that can be endorsed by EU leaders at a summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

Referring to a text discussed on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU summit chair said in a statement: “The Commission president has informed me that it has been agreed at negotiators’ level and agreed in principle at political level, subject to the endorsement of the leaders.”

The text was shared with the 27 other governments of the European Union on Thursday morning. </s> European Council President Donald Tusk said the European Union and Britain have agreed on a draft declaration on the future of their political relations after Brexit.

Referring to a text discussed on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Tusk said in a tweet Thursday: "The Commission president has informed me that it has been agreed at negotiators' level and agreed in principle at political level, subject to the endorsement of the leaders."

Tusk, who chairs meetings of EU leaders, says he has sent the draft political declaration to the U.K.'s 27 European partners.

"The declaration establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership across trade and economic cooperation" and other areas, according to a copy of the document seen by French Press Agency (AFP).

He says the draft declaration still requires "the endorsement of the leaders."

EU leaders are due to meet in Brussels on Sunday to rubber-stamp the declaration and a separate divorce deal.

May will make a statement on Brexit to parliament at 1430 GMT on Thursday, the opposition Labour Party said on Twitter. </s> (Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders meet for a summit in Salzburg, Austria, with Brexit and migration on the agenda.

European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters on Wednesday that Brexit talks are entering a decisive phase and that at Thursday’s meeting he’ll propose an additional summit in mid-November.

“Some of Prime Minister May’s proposals from Chequers indicate a positive evolution in the U.K.’s approach as well as a will to minimize the negative effects of Brexit,” Tusk said. “On other issues, such as the Irish question, or the framework for economic cooperation, the U.K.’s proposals will need to be reworked and further negotiated.”

U.K. and EU Aim to Break Brexit Deadlock as Time Runs OutBritain’s Brexit Fixation Brings Other Government Work to a HaltInside Steve Bannon’s Plans for a New European Political OrderBrexit and the Path to a Deal: Here’s What to Expect in SalzburgWhy Hungary and Poland Rattle Europe’s Liberal Order: QuickTake

*Leaders attend party meetings from 4:30 p.m.*They go into dinner at about 6:30 p.m. CET and will answer reporters’ questions on the way in

--With assistance from John Follain, Katharina Rosskopf, Nikos Chrysoloras, Jonathan Stearns, Tim Ross and Boris Groendahl.

To contact the reporters on this story: Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.net;Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net;Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Theresa May met European Council president Donald Tusk last week in London

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union early next year, according to a top EU official.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

The BBC's Tom Bateman says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.

Mrs May's office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr Tusk's account.

Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.

The timing of the process has so-far been clouded by uncertainty, with no clear signal from Mrs May's government on when it would begin.

There is also confusion over the nature of the the UK's future relationship with the bloc, especially whether it intends to remain a member of the single market.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the European Union was in a "critical situation" as EU leaders met

Mr Tusk spoke from the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, where Europe's 27 other leaders are gathered for an informal summit without the UK.

Speaking about a meeting with the British PM in London last week, Mr Tusk said: "Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me.

"She declared that it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January maybe in February next year."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted that the UK could not get access to the single market without accepting the free movement of workers.

Mrs May has indicated that in any negotiations, her government would insist on placing curbs on EU citizens entering the UK.

'High-wire act'

Our correspondent says invoking Article 50 early next year may be ambitious, as the prime minister has made clear she she wants time to prepare the best deal for Britain.

During the Bratislava summit, the 27 remaining members states unveiled a six-month "road map" of measures designed to restore public confidence in the EU.

But rifts over the record influx of refugees and migrants were on display as soon as the meeting ended.

Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, said: "I'm not satisfied with the conclusions on growth or on immigration.

"To define as a step forward today's document on migrants would require a form of fantasy, a verbal high-wire act." </s> SALZBURG: EU Council President Donald Tusk issued a stark warning to Britain on Wednesday that its Brexit position must be “reworked”, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepared to address European leaders at a key summit.

Tusk said the negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union were reaching a “decisive phase”, as he opened the first of three summits that Brussels hopes will end in a divorce deal.

But while he had some encouragement for the “positive evolution” of Britain’s approach, he warned the two sides were still stuck on two key areas — the Irish border and the future economic relationship.

“On other issues such as the Irish question, or the framework for economic cooperation, the UK’s proposals will need to be reworked and further negotiated,” Tusk said.

Officials on both sides of the Channel hope Salzburg will give new impetus to divorce negotiations ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Oct 18.

That was originally viewed as the deadline, but Tusk confirmed on Wednesday he will seek approval from EU leaders for a last-gasp Brexit gathering in mid-November.

But first the issue of the border must be settled, with both camps coming up against their “red lines”.

If it is not resolved, the chances of Britain stumbling into a chaotic and damaging break-up with its neighbours and main trading partners next March will soar.

Salzburg’s host, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said it was important for the 27 non-British members to stick together.

In an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard, he warned that finding a solution before November “would be anything but easy”.

Neither side wants a “hard border” to spring up between Northern Ireland, a British-ruled province, and the Irish Republic when London splits from the EU single market and customs union, as this would hurt trade and might undermine the Good Friday peace agreement.

But Europe is insisting on a “backstop” that would keep Northern Ireland in the customs union under EU rules while a future trade relationship is negotiated.

London sees this as a threat to its sovereignty and refuses to countenance a de facto Irish Sea frontier.

“Neither side can demand the unacceptable of the other, such as an external customs border between different parts of the United Kingdom, which no other country would accept if they were in the same situation,” May wrote in an editorial carried in several European newspapers.

Speaking in Brussels on the eve of Wednesday’s summit, Europe’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was at pains to appear conciliatory, even if his proposition differed little from the long-standing EU position.

Specifically, he said that he would “clarify” which goods will have to be checked by customs officers as they are transported between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.

“We can also clarify that most checks can take place away from the border, at the company premises or in the market,” he said. “We need to de-dramatise the checks that are needed.”

May’s parliamentary majority depends on support from Northern Ireland loyalists bitterly opposed to any weakening of links with the UK and she faces a difficult Conservative Party conference at the end of month.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2018 </s> Britain and European Union political leaders have agreed in principle to a text setting out their future relationship that can be endorsed by EU leaders at a summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

Britain and European Union political leaders have agreed in principle to a text setting out their future relationship that can be endorsed by EU leaders at a summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

Referring to a text discussed on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU summit chair said in a statement:

"The Commission president has informed me that it has been agreed at negotiators' level and agreed in principle at political level, subject to the endorsement of the leaders."

The text was shared with the 27 other governments of the European Union on Thursday morning. </s> Meeting in Brussels on April 29, twenty-seven European Union heads of state and government unanimously – and rapidly – agreed on the guidelines for the Brexit negotiations.

Procedurally, as provided in EU rules, precisely because it is the departing state, the UK was not at the meeting.

In a tweet, European Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired the meeting, described the mandate for the negotiations as “firm and fair”.

Tusk told a news conference after the summit: “I want to underline the outstanding unity of all the 27 leaders on the guidelines for our negotiations with the UK…we now have unanimous support from all the 27 member states and the EU institutions, giving us a strong political mandate for these negotiations.”

“We are united not only on the substance, but also on the method of conducting the Brexit talks,” Tusk said, adding that he was referring to the phased approach accepted by the EU leaders at the April 29 meeting.

“This means that before negotiating our future relations with the UK, we must first achieve sufficient progress on citizens’ rights, finances and the border issue in Ireland. It is too early to speculate on when this might happen. However, it is important to highlight that it will be for the EU leaders to assess, and decide, if sufficient progress has been made. And this will be a unanimous decision of all the 27 heads.”

Tusk said that priority number one was “citizens, whose rights we want to respect and secure in the first place.”

The discussion had made clear that when it comes to reaching a decision on citizens’ rights, not only speed is of the essence – but above all, quality, as so many people’s lives depend on it, he said.

“We are talking about four and a half million people: Europeans residing in the UK, and Britons living on the continent. Over the past weeks, we have repeatedly heard from our British friends – also during my visit in London – that they are ready to agree on this issue quickly.

“But I would like to state very clearly that we need real guarantees for our people to live, work and study in the UK, and the same goes for the British.”

Tusk said that the European Commission has prepared a full list of rights and benefits that it wanted to guarantee for those affected by Brexit.

“In order to achieve sufficient progress, we need a serious British response. I want to assure you that as soon as the UK offers real guarantees for our citizens, we will find a solution rapidly,” he said.

The guidelines will define the framework for negotiations and set out the overall EU positions and principles during the talks.

The European Council will update the guidelines in the course of the negotiations as necessary.

In the guidelines, the European Council states that the EU27 will keep its unity and act as one during the negotiations.

Core principles are that the EU leaders reiterate their wish to have the UK as a close partner, reiterate that any future deal will need to be based on a balance of rights and obligations and ensure a level playing field, emphasise that the integrity of the single market must be preserved, “which means the four freedoms are indivisible and excludes any cherry-picking”.

The other core principles state that a non-EU member cannot enjoy the same rights and benefits as a EU member.

The 27 heads of state and government agreed that the first phase of negotiations should aim to provide as much clarity and legal certainty as possible, and settle the disentanglement of the UK from the EU.

“The European Council will monitor progress closely and determine when sufficient progress has been achieved to allow negotiations to proceed to the next phase,” a statement after the summit said.

An agreement on a future relationship between the EU and the UK can only be concluded once the UK has become a third country, meaning, after it has left the EU, the statement said.

“However, leaders declare readiness, during a second phase of negotiations, to start preliminary and preparatory discussions on the framework for that future relationship.”

The two year timeframe set out in Article 50 ends on March 29 2019.

The European Council meeting emphasised the importance of safeguarding the rights of citizens affected by Brexit.

They highlighted the need to avoid a legal vacuum for business, and referred to a single financial settlement that should ensure the EU and the UK respect their obligations.

In view of the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, the European Council stressed the need to support the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Until it leaves the Union, the United Kingdom remains a full member of the EU, subject to all rights and obligations set out in the Treaties and under EU law, the statement said.

“All ongoing EU business must continue to proceed as smoothly as possible at 28, and the negotiations with the United Kingdom will be kept separate from ongoing Union business, and shall not interfere with its progress.”

After the adoption of the guidelines by the European Council and based on a recommendation from the Commission, the General Affairs Council on 22 May 2017 is expected to authorise the opening of negotiations, nominate the Commission as the EU negotiator, and adopt negotiation directives.
At a European Union leaders' meeting in Salzburg, European Council President Donald Tusk says that he will push for an additional gathering in mid-November, allowing the United Kingdom's proposals to be "reworked and further negotiated".