French President Emmanuel Macron says the possibility of the UK remaining in the European Union is an option until Brexit negotiations have concluded.
He was speaking at a joint news conference with British Premier Theresa May, BBC reported.
But he said he acknowledged and respected that a decision to leave had been taken by the British people.
He echoed the words of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who also said the UK could change its mind about Brexit.
“If they want to change their decision, of course they would find open doors, but I think it’s not very likely,” Schaeuble told Bloomberg Television.
After talks with May in Paris, Macron told reporters, “Of course the door remains open, always open until the Brexit negotiations come to an end.
“That being said, a sovereign decision was taken by the British people and that is to come out of the European Union, and I very much respect the decisions taken by the people, be it by the French people or the British people.
“In this case, it’s not for me to say whether or not this decision should be questioned ... but until the negotiations come to an end, of course there is always the possibility to reopen the door.
“But let us be clear and organized, and once the negotiations have started, we should be well aware that it’ll be more difficult to move backwards.”
Formal talks are due to begin on 19 June, but May’s hopes of going in with a strengthened mandate were dashed after she failed to secure a majority in last week’s general election.
Downing Street insists it will not change the approach to Brexit it set out last year.
EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned on Tuesday that no progress had been made on the “extraordinarily complex” talks since May invoked Article 50 in March.
He urged the UK to begin talks “very quickly”, telling the Financial Times: “I can’t negotiate with myself.”
Under Article 50, the UK is due to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. Leaving with no deal in place could mean trade tariffs between the UK and the EU unless interim arrangements are made.
