According to the Financial Times, the proposal formulated a week ago in Florence by Theres May, which asked for a two-year post-Brexit transition period, was rejected by Germany and France, who ask to clarify the conditions of the divorce first.
Angela Merkel and Theresa May seemed to have found common ground for negotiation on the basis of two years of transition, during which London would continue to pay contributions so that the other Member States would not have any repercussions or increase their own budget in Brussels.
However, the Financial Times claims that yesterday in Brussels, during a meeting of the ambassadors of the 27 member countries, the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, would have opened to the London proposal, but Paris, Berlin and a group of countries close to Germany they would be lined up, planning a negotiation that did not ignore the terms of the divorce, without concessions in London. "We are not here to save the Tories", according to the Financial Times, an EU ambassador told his colleagues. Some diplomats believe that the hardening of Berlin would be tactical, aimed at lowering the threshold of expectations pending a summit of EU leaders, where a softening would be sought. Barnier believes that the eventual summit of EU leaders could be held this month, and would represent a first step towards a possible agreement in December, even if in this perspective all scenarios still remain open.