The leaders of France and Belgium have urged the European Union to step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit at the end of the year in case negotiations with the U.K. fail to yield a last-minute breakthrough.
At a virtual summit of EU leaders Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo both called on their colleagues to make contingency plans in case talks to sign a trade and security agreement fail, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion.
De Croo pointed out that the negotiations have already run long past their initial deadline and said the bloc can’t go on hoping that the disagreements with the U.K. will resolve themselves, the people said.