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Following the meeting, Sassoli issued a statement saying that “there has been no progress”, and reaffirmed that a possible deal between the EU and UK requires not only a positive meaningful vote of the House of Commons, but also the European Parliament’s approval.
Sassoli reiterated the best outcome would be the UK leaving the EU with a deal, but the current UK proposals which seek to replace the original backstop are “A long way from something to which the Parliament could agree. In addition, they are not immediately operable.”
Sassoli warned that a no-deal Brexit would be “economically damaging to both parties, in particular to the UK. It will have very serious consequences on the island of Ireland. It will increase uncertainty for business and above all for citizens.”