Today at Commission, Brexit leaks and agenda
February 22, 2020 | News | No Comments
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Theresa May attend the second day of the European Council summit | Julien Warnand/ AFP via Getty Images
MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF ‘Normally I don’t comment on leaks, but today I will,’ says Commission chief spokesman.
Today at Commission, Brexit leaks and agenda
On the agenda: Brexit leak, College of Commissioners
On the podium: Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas.
Brexit leak, the sequel: “Normally I don’t comment on leaks, but today I will,” Schinas said after reporters asked for a reaction to a story in German newspaper FAZ on Sunday claiming Theresa May had “begged” Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for help during last week’s dinner in Brussels. May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy accused Martin Selmayr, Juncker’s chief of staff, of being the source of the leak. But Schinas denied that the Commission was behind the leak and said accusing Selmayr was a way “to undermine our [the EU’s] negotiating position.” Schinas said the Commission did not have “time for gossip.”
College of Commissioners Tuesday: European commissioners meet Tuesday in Strasbourg to approve their 2018 work program, to discuss renewal of the controversial herbicide glyphosate, and to approve a communication on the EU’s outermost regions.
