'You need a miracle'
The EU yesterday warned that Britain needs a miracle to unlock the next phase of Brexit talks by next month as it hopes, as leaders debated the post-Brexit future at a summit in Estonia.
The talks in Tallinn were supposed to be devoted to the digital future of Europe, but Britain's departure from the bloc and discussions of French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to reboot the union hijacked the agenda.
The youthful Macron has given new impetus to a year of European soul-searching after the Brexit vote, even as the bloc tries to sort out the nitty-gritty of a divorce deal before Britain departs in March 2019.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned that there was next to no chance that the divorce talks would get far enough by the end of October to move on to discussions on a future trade deal, a crucial demand of Britain.
"By the end of October we will not have sufficient progress," Juncker said as he arrived for the second day of the summit. "I'm saying there will be no sufficient progress from now until October unless miracles will happen."
EU leaders are set to decide at a summit on October 19-20 whether there has been "sufficient progress" on three key issues: Britain's exit bill, the fate of Northern Ireland, and the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.
However UK Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday told British troops stationed with Nato in Estonia that Britain is "unconditionally committed" to European security despite Brexit,.
EU negotiator Barnier and his British counterpart Davis wrapped up a fourth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on Thursday saying there had been progress following May's speech.
Macron won backing from Angela Merkel for plans to reform the European Union after Brexit, founded on what the German chancellor called "intense" cooperation between Paris and Berlin.
But many leaders remained wary of ambitious new projects, doubting the appetite of voters for giving up national control and fearing the continued strength of anti-EU sentiment that is taking Britain out of the bloc and saw the far-right win dozens of seats in the German parliament in Sunday's election.
"Last night's discussions showed there's a common realisation of a need for a leap forward in Europe," Macron told reporters on Friday after an EU summit dinner that stretched beyond midnight in the Estonian capital Tallinn.
"Today we're all convinced Europe must move ahead faster and stronger, for more sovereignty, more unity and more democracy."
Merkel, re-elected for a fourth term on Sunday but weakened by the rise of an insurgent eurosceptic opposition, met Macron for half an hour before the dinner and, according to a French aide, welcomed his speech as "visionary" and a return of co-founder France as a driving force in the European Union project.
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