Emmanuel Macron said the Irish backstop is “indispensable” to a Brexit deal and told Boris Johnson to set out his proposed alternatives as soon as possible.
Speaking alongside Johnson at the Elysee Palace, the French president said: “No one will wait until 31 October to find the right solution. We should all together be able to find something smart within 30 days if there is goodwill on both sides.”
However, he added: “We will not find a new withdrawal agreement within 30 days that will be very different from the existing one.”
Media reaction to the meeting has been mostly optimistic. The Times says the leaders’ dialogue offers “new hope” and the Daily Express says Johnson won a “victory” in France.
The BBC says there was a “friendly welcome” with a “warm and long-lasting” handshake. Moreover, writes political correspondent Iain Watson, “the expectation that [Macron] would refuse point-blank to renegotiate the Brexit deal didn’t materialise”.
The Frenchman’s warmer tone came 24 hours after Angela Merkel raised hopes when she told Johnson that it was still possible to avoid no deal.
But while some have interpreted Merkel and Macron’s words as a sign of hope for progress, others have speculated that the two leaders are merely trying to ensure that they are not blamed for what they see as an inevitable a no-deal Brexit.
As for Johnson, he repeated his position that alternatives to the backstop could be found because “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.
He said: “I think that the technical solutions are readily available and they have been discussed at great length. [Mrs Merkel] said if we can do this in two years then we can do this in 30 days. I admire that ‘can-do’ spirit that she seemed to have and I think she is right.”
However, other newspapers take a more cautious note, focusing on the fact that Macron reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to Johnson’s main obstacle – the backstop.
Indeed, a senior Brussels official told The Times that the prime minister’s proposals for an alternative agreement were not “realistic or feasible”.
European politicians are not so sure. Speaking to the German media, Luxembourg’s foreign minister said that a “miracle” was required to solve the impasse.
Jean Asselborn said: “Miracles should never be ruled out, but I’m sceptical we can simply pluck something out of the air that guarantees Ireland has no hard border and at the same time the EU has control over what enters its market.”
