Ahead of crucial EU summit, five european leaders call for closer ties with britain as UK rejects demands
Leaders press for energy links
The leaders urged the UK and the EU to agree at the summit on a route towards completing negotiations. They said closer integration could help turn the North Sea into the world’s largest clean-energy hub.
Summit set for Brussels
Andy Burnham is due to meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa at the Brussels summit on 20 November. The meeting comes as Burnham has said rejoining the EU’s internal market is among the options he could consider while reshaping the UK’s relationship with the bloc.
Single market freedoms debated
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Michel Barnier said the single market could not offer just one freedom. He referred to the four freedoms: movement of goods, services, capital and people. Barnier said all four were conditions for being inside the single market, underscoring the broader issues that could shape discussions on closer UK-EU ties.
Key points
- Five European leaders want Britain and the EU to pursue closer ties at their 20 November summit.
- The leaders say electricity-market integration could help develop the North Sea as a clean-energy hub.
- EU draft documents seek UK financial contributions and a change to deportation rules.
- A British government source said the UK would reject the EU’s demands.