Satisfied with movement in Brexit talks: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen

As per theEU chief Ursula von der Leyen, Brexit talks have now entered the "last mile" on Monday. Leyen expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Brexit talks with the UK.

"First of all there is movement. That is good... We are talking about a new beginning with old friends," she told a conference organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

While she was content with the way the post-Brexit trade pact talks were progressing, she also mentioned how this last mile was essential. "We are on the very last mile to go. But it is an essential one. We want a level playing field, not only at the start, but also over time," she said.

Talking about the need to figure out the details of the pact, she added, "This is the architecture we are building. We are fine about the architecture itself, but the details in it -- do they really fit? These are crucial points because it is a matter of fairness, fair competition and we want to ensure that."

Her statement has come a day after the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula had met for a detailed talk and had urged the experts and negotiators to figure out a way of making the deal work even at such a late stage. While the motion was applauded by many, theFrench Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Britishers that in the situation of a no-deal, the "losers will be the British. We don't lose much."

"Brexit, to quote a very simple phrase of John Le Carre -- to whom I take this opportunity to pay tribute -- is 'lunacy'," he said and added, "Iregret that my British friends have to pay the price, because they are paying the price for populism, they are paying the price for lies."