MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF

Today at Commission, Brexit tennis metaphors and no Catalan speculation

For the Commission, Brexit negotiations are ‘not a ball game.’

On the agenda: Brexit, Catalonia, migration.

On the podium: Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas.

Brexit, the tennis version: As the fifth round of the Brexit talks kicks off Monday afternoon, reporters started with a series of questions on Brexit. Asked whether the ball of Brexit talks was in the EU’s court, as suggested by British Prime Minister Theresa May, Schinas said Brexit “is not a ball game.” However, he quickly added that because not enough progress had been made so far during the first phase of Brexit discussions — due in part to London’s hesitations about the role of the European Court of Justice and the pressing issue of financial settlements — he believed that “the ball is entirely in the U.K.’s court for the rest to happen.”

Other Brexit comments: Schinas surprisingly answered several Brexit-related questions today, a sign that the Commission might want to put out a few soundbites because no statements are expected to be issued at the start of the talks. The U.K.’s Brexit secretary, David Davis, is not in Brussels today and it is not certain whether he and Michel Barnier will deliver their usual readout on the talks on Thursday. Asked whether the absence of Davis will have an impact on the talks, Schinas responded that the Commission and its team are ready to negotiate “24/7” and reiterated his typical line that the EU side “is ready.”

Catalonia’s potential independence declaration: Schinas did not stray from the Commission’s stance on Catalonia. “We are staying where we were” last week on the issue, said the Commission’s deputy spokesman Alexander Winterstein — meaning the Commission respects the Spanish constitution and will not comment on whether it could mediate a solution between Madrid and Barcelona. The Catalan parliament is expected to vote on declaring independence this Tuesday. “We will not speculate on what will happen,” Winterstein said. Schinas added that the Catalan issue was one of the topics discussed in a phone call between the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker over the weekend and said that “the president repeated the Commission’s position.”

Migration corner: Schinas declined to provide a full statement regarding Merkel’s party suggesting a potential soft cap of taking in 200,000 refugees per year. However, Schinas said such a high cap would be “extremely positive” for the Commission, as Berlin has already taken in more than 1 million refugees over the past two years. He once again praised Germany’s “leading role in managing the refugee crisis.”

Schinas also announced that the Commission on Monday granted €4 million in financial assistance to Serbia for refugees and asylum seekers.