Conditions for short Brexit delay have not been met, says Berlin

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/09/conditions-for-short-brexit-delay-have-not-been-met-says-berlin#img-1

Conditions for short Brexit delay have not been met, says Berlin

Daniel Boffey in Luxembourg

Tue 9 Apr 2019 09.36 BST Last modified on Tue 9 Apr 2019 09.47 BST

Germany’s EU affairs minister has complained that “absolutely nothing has changed” in Westminster, 24 hours before the bloc’s leaders come together to decide on a possible Brexit delay.

Michael Roth said cross-party talks had not offered any hope of an imminent Brexit breakthrough, leaving the UK facing a no-deal or a long extension to its EU membership.
(snip)

But, before May’s meetings on Tuesday with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin, Roth offered a downbeat assessment of the state of play.

“It’s groundhog day again,” he said. “Unfortunately I have to say that the conditions the European council has decided on in its last meeting have not been met. This means time will run out on 12 April.”

Roth added: “Of course the EU continues to be willing to talk, there is also a letter by Prime Minister May.

“We will very carefully have to look at this letter. We are finally expecting substantial steps in the right direction. So far absolutely nothing has changed.

“Of course we are also thinking about such a deadline extension, including a long extension of the deadline, but this also has to come with very strict criteria.
(snip)