EU's Barnier says draft Brexit deal is 'fair and balanced'

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier attends a news conference to hand over the Brexit draft text to European Council President Donald Tusk, in Brussels, Belgium, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday the draft Brexit deal reached with London was "fair and balanced", as the bloc haggled with Britain over any extension to the envisaged transition period.

Barnier told a news conference after briefing the 27 national EU ministers that they generally approved of the draft divorce agreement reached last week, and that a blank in the document on the end date for a possible extension of the status-quo transition period should be resolved for a summit on Sunday.