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Wikipedia has this summary as the latest (August) status of Brexit talks:

On August 9, The Times and Business Insider said that EU had made concessions and agreed to accept, among other things, a free trade deal which doesn't include free movement of EU citizens.[107][108][109][110] Under the proposal, the EU would also accept the terms outlined in the White Paper if Britain agreed to abide by the EU's social, environment and customs rules.[111][108] However, this would also include keeping Britain in the European Single Market for a longer period,[108] which is a matter of concern for the British government.[112][110][109] Agreeing to the single market proposal could potentially mean that Britain will be unable to change laws in order to give it a competitive edge against the EU and could hinder any chance of signing additional trade deals.[107][111]

A lot of the refs there are tabloids, so I want to know what exactly has someone who actually represents the EU said on this. It sounds like a temporary non-Brexit [except for free movement, maybe]... so it doesn't make a lot of sense. So what's the latest counter-proposal from the EU, in their own words?

Evargalo
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the gods from engineering
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  • The language in the wikipedia article is somewhat different from the original Times and Business Insider stories. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sterling-slumps-to-new-low-as-fears-grow-of-no-brexit-deal-qbfdv3nfh?_ga=2.231623259.574082991.1534457334-718340073.1402187593 http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-eu-is-preparing-to-offer-a-major-brexit-concession-to-theresa-may-2018-8?r=US&IR=T – origimbo Aug 16 '18 at 22:15

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It seems to be info from an unnamed "senior EU source" (according to BI/Times) that EU would consider a "Jersey model":

British officials say that Crown dependencies like Jersey already have a third-country status except for goods, meaning the so-called "Jersey model" has worked in practice for years.

Sources negotiating between EU member states in Brussels said that European leaders would be willing to consider British proposals to remain in the single market for goods if she adopted all future EU environmental and social protections.

"If May came with the Jersey model there would be a serious discussion among leaders for the first time," a senior EU source told the Times.

It seems doubtful given the unnamed source issue, and the only more recent news is that Barnier and Raab haven't been talking to each other:

Brexit talks resumed in Brussels this week between UK and EU officials, focused on the Irish border - a key sticking point - and future relations.

A European Commission spokesman said: "As this week's round is at technical level there won't be a meeting between Michel Barnier and Dominic Raab.

"We will confirm in due course whether a subsequent meeting has been arranged."

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the gods from engineering
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    (+1) Interestingly, the quote does not suggest “the EU” conceded anything but rather that putting such a proposal on the table could drive a wedge between countries/leaders and undermine Barnier's current negotiation strategy. That's what “serious discussion” implies... – Relaxed Aug 17 '18 at 07:48
  • @Relaxed This could also be seen as a counter-leak from the EU side against the UK government's white paper, suggesting an alternative resolution to the border which is equally ideologically unacceptable to those on the other side of the table. – origimbo Aug 17 '18 at 12:29
  • @origimbo I am not sure I follow. That would still greatly undermine the current strategy (hence the “concession” narrative). – Relaxed Aug 17 '18 at 16:37
  • What does a "senior EU source" mean? – Taladris Aug 18 '18 at 08:18
  • @Taladris: well. that's the rub. – the gods from engineering Aug 19 '18 at 23:10