Merkel still has 'hope' for an orderly Brexit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced "hope"
Wednesday that Britain could still quit the EU in an orderly manner but said a
European summit would not bring any changes to the Brexit agreement.
"We have no intention to change the exit agreement. That's the common position of the 27 member states and in that sense we do not expect any changes arising from the debates," she told parliament a day before the EU summit.
She added that she still "has hope for an orderly exit", warning that "we have little time, but we still have time".
On Tuesday, Merkel said that she saw no possibility of reopening the Brexit agreement, after talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Merkel told lawmakers of her CDU/CSU bloc that she saw "no way to change"
the deal reached on November 25th between Britain and the remaining EU members, said sources at the meeting.
Merkel also stressed to May that any agreements on Brexit could only be struck with the EU as a whole, not bilaterally with member states.
May has visited three European capitals Tuesday in a desperate bid to salvage her Brexit deal, a day after delaying a parliamentary vote on the text to avoid a crushing defeat.
She was seeking "reassurances" over provisions in the EU withdrawal agreement concerning Northern Ireland, which she hopes could persuade her rebellious Conservative party to support it.
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"We have no intention to change the exit agreement. That's the common position of the 27 member states and in that sense we do not expect any changes arising from the debates," she told parliament a day before the EU summit.
She added that she still "has hope for an orderly exit", warning that "we have little time, but we still have time".
On Tuesday, Merkel said that she saw no possibility of reopening the Brexit agreement, after talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Merkel told lawmakers of her CDU/CSU bloc that she saw "no way to change"
the deal reached on November 25th between Britain and the remaining EU members, said sources at the meeting.
Merkel also stressed to May that any agreements on Brexit could only be struck with the EU as a whole, not bilaterally with member states.
May has visited three European capitals Tuesday in a desperate bid to salvage her Brexit deal, a day after delaying a parliamentary vote on the text to avoid a crushing defeat.
She was seeking "reassurances" over provisions in the EU withdrawal agreement concerning Northern Ireland, which she hopes could persuade her rebellious Conservative party to support it.
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