Brexit: Johnson and Juncker talk, but no result
After the meeting in Luxembourg on Monday between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker there is still no sign of a Brexit breakthrough. Johnson also refused to attend a planned press conference, citing a noisy anti-Brexit demonstration nearby.
Not the way to treat a leader
Johnson cancelled a joint press conference with Luxembourg's prime minister Xavier Bettel because demonstrators booing Johnson could be heard in the background. The Daily Telegraph is outraged that Bettel twice pointed to the empty lectern beside him:
“This was not only poor diplomacy but an insulting way to treat a guest and the leader of another country. ... The EU is calculating that Mr Johnson's threat of a no-deal Brexit is a bluff because he cannot get that past the Commons. They may be right. But if they are not then they will have to share the blame for the consequences.”
London's void policy
Johnson's team hasn't come up with anything but bad jokes, Le Soir rails:
“On the European side we were ready to renegotiate the Irish backstop provided the return of an Irish border was ruled out and the good functioning of the single market remained intact, even if this meant letting Bojo portray it as a spectacular coup. However, there is still no sign from London of anything resembling a concrete, precise or viable proposal. ... All we've seen so far are completely inappropriate jokes like comparing Britain to the Hulk, able to extricatee itself from any impasse - or Monday's image from Luxembourg, where Johnson deserted a press conference, leaving a perfect metaphor for his strategy: a void.”
"Bojo" will have to budge
Johnson is just a bigmouth, writes Der Standard:
“No matter how often Johnson dines with Jean-Claude Juncker and fantasizes about a breakthrough 'in just a few days' time', it's all just bluffing. ... The prime minister is a bigmouth. He hasn't even done his homework and presented the EU 27 with a proposal, as he announced he would do weeks ago. The EU partners don't trust him and have no reason to change their position in order to help 'Bojo' out of the impasse he's gotten himself into. With no time left to negotiate a new withdrawal agreement or a follow-on free trade agreement, Johnson will have to get moving on the backstop.”