[ad_1]
This Sunday, a decision will be made on whether a breakthrough is still possible in the talks on a Brexit trade pact. It doesn’t look good.
Shortly before the end of what is probably the last term in the fight for a Brexit trade pact, according to information from negotiating circles, no other solution is in sight. British media reported on Saturday night, citing government circles, that as things stand, the EU offer remains unacceptable.
The head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, would likely speak to each other on Sunday, it was also said from London. The British position remained unchanged: any agreement must be fair and respect the principles of sovereignty and control over one’s own affairs.
Britain left the EU at the beginning of the year. There is still a transition period until the end of the year, during which almost everything will remain the same. If no trade pact has been agreed by then, there is a risk of high tariffs and other trade barriers. The main points of contention are the issues of fair competition and European fishermen’s access to British waters.
Both parties have been given until Sunday to reach an agreement. If the negotiations are declared to have failed, they should be prepared for a no-deal.
The tone has become noticeably sharper recently: in the dispute over fishing rights, London announced that, if necessary, it would protect coastal waters from EU fishing trawlers with Royal Navy vessels. The European Commission recently proposed keeping the current rules for now in case the talks fail. London’s announcement to call the Royal Navy to the scene should have been a clear rejection of this proposal.
Cross-border police at risk
Failure to reach an agreement would affect not only trade, but other areas as well, such as fighting cross-border crime. Former director of the European police authority Europol, Max-Peter Ratzel, expressed concern about the stalled negotiations on Saturday. “As a European, I am concerned that we are losing some of our skills,” the German told British news channel Sky News. As a Brit, I would be even more concerned. “Naturally, you lose more than us,” he told the British. This is due to the difference in size between Great Britain and the European Union as a block of states.
In the event of not reaching an agreement, both parties would lose access to important databases. London, for example, would have to do without the Schengen information system, in which data on wanted criminals can be retrieved. Therefore, Ratzel called on politicians to find a way to achieve greater cooperation in the field of police and justice even in the event that no agreement is reached.
(WHAT / dpa)
