Brexit Conversations yielded Nothing. Negotiating a weekend did not lead to a breakthrough of the Brexit impasse. At the start of the weekend, people were still hopeful, on Sunday doubts rose again.

Today, the EU and the British continue speaking while listening to the Queen’s speech.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had good conversations before the weekend. The two saw a goat path towards a possible Brexit deal.

But after this weekend, EU negotiator Michel Barnier concludes that the talks have been difficult.

On Sunday evening, the ambassadors of EU member states were informed about the state of affairs.

According to the reports, Barnier told that it is quite possible that negotiations still need to be held after the EU summit on 17 and 18 October, as progress is not being made fast enough.

Both parties hoped that they would have a provisional agreement before the summit.

The schedule for the coming days
The coming week will be crucial. These are the essential moments to watch out for.

Today Queen Elizabeth addresses the people in the speech. She reveals Johnson’s plans for the United Kingdom after Brexit. The statement is written by the government and must then be approved by the British Parliament.

The Queen presents a series of laws on crime, immigration, health and the environment. She also elaborates on the Brexit, including laws that restrict the free movement of people from EU citizens to the United Kingdom and which must ensure better access to medicines.

There is also talk of the exit agreement negotiated by former Prime Minister Theresa May.

That agreement never entered into force, because it was voted out of Parliament several times with a destructive majority. The plans that Queen Elizabeth is talking about may never become a reality because the cabinet no longer has a majority in Parliament.

Tuesday debates
Tomorrow there will be a series of debates about the Queen’s speech and the plans mentioned in it. That can take up to five days, and if the members of the vote against, there will probably be more votes for early elections.

Meanwhile, EU negotiator Barnier is talking with EU ministers in Luxembourg to give them the latest state of play regarding the negotiations.

An EU summit will start on Thursday in Brussels, where, among other things, Brexit will be discussed.

Other things are also planned, such as the multiannual financial framework, climate change and the possible expansion of the EU with Northern Macedonia and Albania.

It could then already be clear whether or not a deal is possible. The EU summit will continue on Friday, with Brexit as the last item on the agenda.

If negotiators are not making progress, it is up to EU leaders at the summit to break the stalemate and force a breakthrough, although that will be very difficult.

It is complicated to negotiate such an agreement in a few days.

Scheduled session and voting
The British Parliament is expected to meet on Saturday. Johnson has promised that, although a debate on Saturday still has to be officially requested.

Debating on Saturdays is not common in the UK. The last time the Parliament met on Saturday was during the Falklands War.

Johnson will then either present a deal he has concluded with the EU or explains what his plans are if a deal is unsuccessful.

If a deal is already concluded, the Parliament must agree. If Parliament does not do so, or if it has not been possible to make a deal, Prime Minister Johnson is required by a specially adopted law to ask the EU to postpone the Brexit. The deadline for this is at midnight British time.