By Ben Kerrigan-
Jean-Claude Juncker is still trying to get Britain to change its mind and have Britain back in the EU .
The European Commission president said the UK could apply to rejoin under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty even after it leaves the EU in March 2019 – if the Government or British people want “find a way out” of Brexit.
Juncker’s comments comes after European Council president Donald Tusk said he was open to a “change of heart” from the UK on Tuesday.
Mr Juncker had described Brexit as a “lose-lose situation” for Britain and the EU and a “catastrophe”.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Mr Tusk said that ”our hand remains outstretched”.
“The British people, the British Government, may wish to find a different way out of the Brexit situation and we are very much willing to deal with them. The fact EU bosses are trying to persuade Britain to change its mind may be the same reason they are making talks on trade difficult EU chief’s negotiator, Michael Barnier, wants free movement of people to continue throughout the period, and permanent rights to settle for any EU nationals moving to the UK before the end of 2020. However, those rights were forfeited when Britain voted to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum.
He is also expected to insist that the UK will need “authorisation” from Brussels to continue enjoying the benefits of the bloc’s existing trade agreements with non-EU countries, the paper suggests.
Michel Barnier, believes that the most likely deal on offer is similar to the CETA agreement with Canada.
However, Cristophe Bondy, Ottawa’s counsel insists that Britain’s starting point as an EU member was completely different to the CETA agreement.
“A free trade agreement is like two parties on either side of river and they are considering building a bridge across that river because they believe it will be in their economic benefit – and that is what CETA does,” he told the Commons Brexit Committee.
But he added: “What the UK situation with the EU right now is that that bridge has been there for 45 years. Communities have been built up on either side of it. There are buildings on the bridge.
“And you are deciding what part of it you want to blow up without bankrupting yourself. It is an issue of what part of it you are going to keep if you can.”
Mr Bondy also rejected ministers’ hopes of a quick-fire deal with the EU, warning: “I see it descending into a lot of political acrimony.”
He echoed criticisms that, unlike Canada, Britain was “asking to have the benefits of being part of the club, but not play by all the rules”.