(Bloomberg) --
The European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is “not optimistic” about avoiding a no-deal Brexit scenario, he wrote in an opinion piece for The Telegraph.
Barnier also outlined that the controversial “backstop” arrangement is to ensure that the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland remains open after Brexit, while guaranteeing the integrity of EU’s single-market system.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the U.K. will be ready to leave the EU with or without a deal as scheduled on Oct. 31. On August 28, Johnson moved to suspend parliament from mid-September to mid-October, outraging some lawmakers who saw the move as a way to hinder efforts to block a no-deal Brexit.
“I am not optimistic about avoiding a ‘no deal’ scenario but we should all continue to work with determination,” Barnier wrote. “The EU is ready to explore all avenues that the U.K. government may present and that are compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement.”
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