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In the dispute over a Brexit trade pact, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, searched for a solution on Wednesday night, and did not find one.
Since Andreas Lieb | 11.44 pm, December 9, 2020
They both met for dinner in Brussels.. Hours earlier, Johnson had hardened the tone in London, complaining that the EU was insisting on positions that “no prime minister of this country should accept.” But there is still a lot possible. When Johnson arrived at the EU Commission, von der Leyen joined him in front of the cameras to take photos. They both removed their masks briefly before disappearing behind a door after a few seconds. The EU side clouded the expectations of the conversation.
The only topic on the table: Brexit. There is little time left to agree on future UK-EU relations, yet three main areas remain unresolved (dispute settlement, fair competition and fisheries). Johnson himself provoked hours before the meeting – in which there was rightly fishing – by complaining that the EU insists on positions that “no prime minister of this country should accept.”
Some commentators saw the fact that von der Leyen had Johnson serve fish as a deliberate gesture, others as a sign that the Brussels authority has a sense of humor.
The menu is quite spicy – just under two years ago, of all things, there was a heated argument between French and British fishermen in the English Channel over scallops. The reason for the conflict was the closed seasons, which were applied to the French, but not to the British. Then the French ships attacked the British competition on the water. They fought vehemently. About 35 French and 5 British ships were involved in the incident in the English Channel. Stones, paint cans and flares flew; The ships were rammed. The British media spoke of a “scallop war”.
Shortly after 11 pm Boris Johnson left the commission building, a little later it was said that the evening had not brought any new rapprochement and that the talks had “heated up.” The negotiations should continue until next Sunday at the latest, then it will probably be over forever. Brexit is not on the agenda for today’s EU summit, but von der Leyen will update heads of state and government, and report on the dinner with Boris.
The points in dispute
The points in dispute have been the same for months: the EU’s demand for a fair playing field, fishing in UK waters and penalties for possible breaches of the deal. “The prime minister will make it clear tonight that he cannot accept anything that affects our ability to govern our laws or our waters,” said a government spokeswoman in London.
However, the EU expected the British side to move. “At the moment we still have important differences of opinion” on these points, said the EU negotiator Michel Barnier at a meeting of the Committee of the Regions in Brussels. “The next few days will be very important.” Both parties hoped that Barnier and his British colleague David Frost would have to start negotiations again.
Britain left the EU at the end of January. The contract must be in force before December 31, then the transition phase of Brexit will expire. Without a contract, there is the risk of tariffs, prolonged border congestion, and other trade obstacles at the end of the year.
