STA, 2 March 2019 - President Borut Pahor, who recently concluded an official a visit to the UK this week, has said in an interview with Sky News that the EU member states could agree with a short postponement of Brexit. "I think Slovenia and a lot of other countries would say yes" because "no one wants to see a hard Bbrexit in a chaotic way."
Speaking to the British TV station, Pahor added that Britain needs to show "clarity and consensus" and come back to the EU with a plan MPs can approve.
The Slovenian president's comments come as the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he was ready to give the UK more guarantees that the Irish backstop was only intended to be temporary.
Pahor said he wanted a compromise on the Irish backstop to be found, but added that Slovenia would not approve a deal that Ireland disagreed with, according to the website of Sky News.
"It is not clear at the moment if United Kingdom has a clear position on some sort of compromise solution and if it fits the requirements of the majority in the House (of Commons)," he said in the exclusive interview.
Pahor believes that a delay to Brexit would not make a compromise any easier to find and expressed concern the European Parliament elections at the end of May could cause problems.
"If Brexit would become an issue of political campaign among the 27, I think this could even make more difficult the whole framework of negotiations between London and Brussels," he added.
Other stories on President Pahor’s UK Visit:
Pahor in UK this Week to Discuss Brexit (Background)
Pahor & Hunt Say Slovenia-UK Relations Good, Will Remain So After Brexit
Pahor Meets the Queen, UK Visit Continues Friday
President Borut Pahor: The Geopolitical Positioning of Europe (Video)
All our stories on Brexit and Slovenia are here
