"I'm optimistic, but you have to be careful"

Brussels is living a European week like it has not lived in a long time, with this agreement on Brexit between European and British negotiators. The European Council is meeting to validate this text. There will still be an obstacle, and what an obstacle (besides the European Parliament): ratification by the British House of Commons. It is therefore with a double feeling that the Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, arrived at the European Council: optimism and prudence. "It's a step forward, in the right direction. (…) It is certain that the devil is in the details. We will look at the different texts, documents, the legal wording. But the feeling that prevails is positive, a sense of satisfaction. But also a realistic sense of caution. This is not the first time the Council has validated a text. The British parliament must also be able to validate this text."

Protecting the internal market

The best interest of the 27 is the protection of the internal market. The procrastination around the (North) Irish question shows, on both sides, the subtle balance that had to be reached in order to come to an agreement, to ensure, in the future, an economic competition. between the Twenty-Seven and his British neighbor. For Charles Michel, it's positive: "On the basis of the information in our possession, we feel that the protection of the integrity of the internal market is at the rendezvous, that this requirement to have fair competition is present."

Charles Michel expresses a "hope":"It's been three years since the British choice came in, three years that negotiations are difficult. We are optimistic, positive, but I do not forget – it is not a detail – that the British Parliament must still agree".

See you Saturday for a necessarily historic day …