European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier attends an EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, October 16, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Brussels: The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has opened the possibility of extending the one-year transition period in an effort to unblock talks stalled on the thorny issue of the Irish border, EU diplomats said on Thursday.
Barnier told European Affairs Ministers on Wednesday "that one of the options was to extend the transitional phase by one year (to 2021)" in order to gain more time to negotiate trade deal, EU diplomats told AFP.
The offer was revealed on the day British Prime Minister Theresa May is to meet her 27 EU counterparts in Brussels to discuss the talks that are at an impasse.
