Eastern member states have challenged eurocrats’ hardline stance on security, saying the UK should continue to be consulted on the bloc’s foreign policy.
Foreign ministers from Poland, Lithuania and Romania penned a joint piece calling for an “inclusive approach” in which “the UK’s voice is heard”.
They struck a much softer note than Michel Barnier who has said Britain “will no longer have the ability to shape and lead the EU’s collective actions”.
In a column for Politico, Jacek Czaputowicz, Linas Linkevicius and Teodor Melescanu said Brussels should give the UK an “unprecedented” security deal.
The trio said Britain’s power on the world stage meant it could still “take a front-runner role” and that the EU should work “hand-in-hand” with it.
They wrote: “Without Britain, the EU’s stance on the global stage may weaken, making it more vulnerable to external threats.
“It’s in the EU’s interest to involve London in the area of security and defence policy as much as possible.
“Britain’s withdrawal from the EU is an unprecedented situation and as such requires unprecedented solutions.
“That is why we must ensure there is a constant flow of information between us, and that the UK’s voice is heard.”
Mr Barnier has previously said that Britain should be treated like any other third country, restricting its role in EU security and defence policy.
An EU diplomat told The Sun: “This fits a pattern you’ll see more from the Eastern members.
“It’s going to get harder to maintain unity from now on as we reach crunch time on Brexit.
That was always inevitable.”
Meanwhile, this week’s Salzburg summit will pit Mr Barnier and fellow French hardliner Emmanuel Macron against countries who want a softer trade approach.
EU officials said the two camps will debate whether or not the political declaration on trade should be very detailed or deliberately vague.
Eurocrats and Mr Macron want a tightly worded document to tie Britain down to whatever terms are agreed with the bloc before we leave.
But EU Council chief Donald Tusk and countries like the Netherlands want to leave the UK room to soften its position further after next March.
A senior official said leaders will debate the future relationship on Thursday with a view to issuing Mr Barnier with new instructions in October.
In his welcome letter to prime ministers, Mr Tusk warned: “With only six months to go, we are entering the final weeks of negotiations.
“Let me recall that limiting the damage caused by Brexit is our shared interest.
“Unfortunately, a no deal scenario is still quite possible.
But if we all act responsibly, we can avoid a catastrophe.”
Elsewhere, the first signs have emerged that member states could demand compromises from Ireland in return for their solidarity on the border.
An EU official told Bloomberg some countries will now expect Dublin to drop its opposition to new digital and corporation tax rules across the bloc.
They told the site “solidarity doesn’t come for free” and Ireland’s ongoing opposition to EU-wide tax reform could become “politically unsustainable”.
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