EU's Chief Negotiator Michael Barnier has urged London on Tuesday to decide on the agreement as soon as possible, adding that a deal may be struck this week.
"Even if an agreement has been difficult, more and more difficult, it’s still possible this week", Barnier said. "Reaching an agreement is still possible. Obviously, any agreement must work for all; the whole of the UK and the whole of the EU. Let me add also that it is high time to turn good intentions in a legal text".
In the meantime, Finnish MP Tytti Tuppurainen stated that the EU will assess another possible Brexit delay to Britain, noting, however, that the UK will have to ask Brussels for the extension. She also stressed that the bloc has to avoid a no-deal scenario, as all options are still possible.
Commenting on the talks, German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth claimed that a hard Brexit would be a disaster and noted that the EU has been extremely flexible during the negotiations. He also stressed that the Good Friday Agreement, ensuring peace in Northern Ireland is a key issue for the bloc.
"I'm not quite sure if a deal is close", he added.
Meanwhile, London is ready to present new proposals after a meeting between Boris Johnson and Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster last night, according to RTE reports.
"Two well-placed sources have confirmed that UK negotiators will bring forward a new text when they meet European Commission negotiators in Brussels this morning", RTE Europe Editor Tony Connelly said on Twitter. "The UK will table fresh proposals to break the Brexit deadlock this morning".
The PM has pledged that Britain will leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal, even ordering a prorogation of the Parliament in an attempt to secure the hard Brexit option, but lawmakers forced him to request a delay to the Article 50 deadline until January 2020, if London and Brussels can't reach an agreement before the designated date.
