Senior EU official says UK-EU trade deal 'difficult but still possible'

BRUSSELS - It is "difficult but still possible" for the European Union (EU) to reach a new trade deal with the United Kingdom (UK), said European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maros Sefcovic on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting of ministers for European affairs from the EU's 27 member states, Sefcovic said the EU will continue to work for a deal. "It's very difficult but still possible," he said, adding that the door remains open until the last useful day.

Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office, was more explicit, saying that there was no substantial progress in talks on the future UK-EU trade deal.

"Time is running out," Roth said, adding that preparations need to be made for a no-deal scenario, but the EU still wants a reasonable solution.

EU member states' ministers for European affairs met for a General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, during which they were briefed by Michel Barnier, the bloc's chief negotiator with the UK.

Their meeting came two days ahead of an EU summit that will address the deadlock of the EU-UK negotiation.