'Good riddance Albion?' European media asks whether no-deal is nigh

Among reactions to Brexit negotiations in the European press, the consensus is that the talks are heading towards a no-deal and not everyone appears unhappy about it.

"Albion débarras?”, heads French Left-leaning daily Libération, which translates as "Good riddance Albion?”

With the two sides still "very far apart", Libération wonders whether the EU’s contingency measures in case of no-deal are evidence of “precaution (or pessimism?).

“Europe dragged towards a no-deal,” leads Le Figaro in its piece, pointing out that the bookmakers are now clearly betting on this outcome, “an unmistakable sign” that talks are unlikely to succeed.

“In Brussels, pessimism is gaining ground too,” warns the conservative French daily.

The paper cites a source “close to the negotiations” as saying the three-hour Brussels dinner between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen was “cordial and clear” and while nothing was resolved, it had the merit of “identifying the ‘sticking points’ and ‘those that are less so’”.

While the Prime Minister was clearly now directly engaged, the source said he remained “very hazy as to which direction he intends to take”.

The EU, it writes, does not want to waste any more time over talks and there is unlikely to be movement before the weekend. “It’s not a question of time. The treaty is on the table. It is almost complete and is 700 pages long, including annexes. It is the political issues that need to be resolved,” it cites a European source as saying.

“The ball is pretty much in the British court, where signs of any softening are tenuous,” writes Le Figaro, whose European source says: “On fair competition rules, the most important issue for the future, it’s clear that the gap is more ideological than practical, which narrows the chances of bridging it.”

The paper says it is unlikely that Boris will give ground on the “anniversary of his crushing electoral victory” based on “getting Brexit done” and “taking back control”.

For Les Echos, “Europe accelerates its preparations in case of no-deal”.

While the contingency plans should ensure some kind of continuity for air travel, freight and fishing, the financial daily warns that failure to reach a deal “could weigh on security relations between the UK and EU, notably in terms of police and judicial cooperation as (the UK) would find itself in the position of a third party state.”

“That means no more access to European files or European agencies (Europe and Eurojust) nor operational projects at a time when terror threats are still very present,” it writes.

Les Echos also frets about “defence”, saying that with the UK the only nuclear power other than France now leaving the EU, “its departure will come with very heavy consequences” – without specifying which.

Over in Germany, the press focusses heavily on the EU budget being agreed with Hungary and Poland, which is being hailed as a triumph for Angela Merkel and the German presidency.

Der Spiegel magazine has a straight report of the Prime Minister’s comments yesterday under the headline "Boris Johnson sees a strong possibility of a no deal Brexit".

However, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper has a longer analysis under the headline: "New deadline new trouble.”

"The argument now is about how to resolve an argument," the paper says on the disagreement over how to resolve future disputes.

"The only thing that is certain is that despite all precautions, there will be a hard break in three weeks if a deal is not agreed by then.”`

In Italy, the press reserves Brexit for the back pages.

Right-leaning Il Giornale newspaper hypothesises: “At this point it seems ever more pressing the uncertainty over what will happen in the case that the UK decides to go slamming the door behind them, but also the possibility at reaching a last minute deal that is impossible to put into place in the early days of 2021.”

The financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore focused on efforts to limit chaos in the airline sector, noting that given the proximity of the Sunday deadline "the negotiation margins are very limited, if not close to zero."