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On Tuesday, Britain and the EU want to meet for the next round of talks on a Brexit follow-up deal. The chances of a successful date have not necessarily increased this weekend. On Sunday night, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded more speed and courtesy from the EU. An agreement had to be reached in mid-October so that an agreement on the regulated withdrawal of his country from the confederation could still be ratified.
Otherwise, there would be no free trade agreement between Britain and the European Union, Johnson announced Sunday night in London. Instead, London is based on an agreement with the EU based on the Australian model.
British media report on delicate plans in London
So far, the EU has only one framework agreement with Australia, which, among other things, affects technical barriers. In general, trade between Europe and Australia is conducted on the basis of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Transferred to Britain would be the dreaded no-deal. This would be a “good result” for the UK, Johnson said. However, experts have been warning for years about the enormous risks of leaving without an agreement, which would also and above all hit the British economy hard.
A later development on Sunday could make conversations very difficult or even break up. As the “Financial Times” reports, the British government plans to reopen crucial parts of the agreement with the EU on the Northern Ireland issue.
According to the newspaper, the new legislation should be made public on Wednesday and partially invalidate the agreement with the EU that Johnson himself signed in October 2019. The details of Northern Ireland in particular were only decided after long and arduous negotiations (may find more about this here).
Criticism comes from political opponents and from Ireland
According to The Guardian, the British government assumes that the October agreement is vaguely worded in parts to be undermined by the new law. It is not yet clear which parts of the agreement with the EU are involved.
There are still no reactions from Brussels to the “Financial Times” report, whose key messages are also confirmed by other major media houses in Britain. The opposition Labor Party has already made this clear. According to her, Johnson threatens to “break the legal obligations of the country” and the party spoke of a “malicious maneuver”. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney called the move “very reckless”.
Negotiator: “I don’t think we are afraid of this in any way”
The British government, however, remains aggressive. British chief negotiator David Frost was even sharper than Johnson on Sunday: he fully agreed with Johnson that Britain had nothing to fear from a no-deal Brexit, he told the “Mail on Sunday.” “I don’t think we’re scared of that in any way,” Frost said.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier is expected to be in London on Tuesday. Britain left the EU on January 31. In a transitional phase until the end of the year, the country continues to belong to the EU internal market and to the customs union, so almost nothing has changed in everyday life. If no contract on future relationships is successful, there could be a sharp economic break with tariffs and other trade barriers in early 2021.
