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EU, London reach Brexit deal

The president of the European Commission urged the EU leaders to also endorse this agreement

© REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

BRUSSELS, October 17. /TASS/. EU and British negotiators have been engaged in two-day intensive talks and have reached an agreement, which will unlock the way to Brexit by particularly settling the issue of the Northern Irish border, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said via Twitter on Thursday.

"Where there is a will, there is a deal - we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions," Juncker added to the letter enclosed.

Where there is a will, there is a #deal - we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions. I recommend that #EUCO endorses this deal. pic.twitter.com/7AfKyCZ6k9
— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) October 17, 2019

Jucker’s letter to President of the European Council Donald Tusk explains the following, "the negotiators reached an agreement on a revised Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and on a revised Political Declaration (to be included in the UK Brexit deal - TASS). Both were endorsed by the European Commission. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom also signaled his approval of these documents to me today (on Thursday - TASS)."

In light of this, Juncker urged the EU leaders who will arrive in Brussels for an EU summit in five hours to also endorse this agreement. "I believe it is high time to complete the withdrawal process and move on, as swiftly as possible, to the negotiation on the European Union’s future partnership with the United Kingdom," Juncker said.

In accordance with the EU regulations, the United Kingdom was supposed to ultimately leave the union on March 29, 2019, two years after the written withdrawal notice was submitted. However, the UK House of Commons rejected the withdrawal agreement struck by Brussels and the UK government then headed by Theresa May three times. As a result, the EU first agreed to postpone Brexit until April-May and later until October 31, while May was forced to step down failing to find a way out of the deadlock. Boris Johnson, her successor, insists that the country will not ask Brussels for new extensions and must leave the EU by October 31 "do or die", otherwise threatening to take the country out of the EU with no-deal. However, this course of actions is fiercely opposed by the House of Commons.

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