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Britain returns to the negotiating table in the dispute with the EU over Brexit. The interrupted talks will continue, said a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. EU negotiator Michel Barnier and his British colleague David Frost agreed to a round of negotiations from October 22 to 25 in London on the basis of the treaty texts, the spokesman said.
The British government justified the resumption of the talks with a speech by Barnier on Wednesday morning. Barnier recognized important points for Great Britain, including respect for the sovereignty of Great Britain. Barnier and Frost spoke about this Wednesday afternoon. “On the basis of this conversation, we are ready to receive the EU team in London to continue negotiations during the week,” the British government statement said. After months of contention, Johnson on Friday accused the EU of not wanting a deal. Therefore, he expects a break without a treaty, unless the EU fundamentally changes its position.
Barnier, on the other hand, offered intensive negotiations in London in a speech to the European Parliament that morning, saying: “I believe that an agreement is within our reach if we are both willing to work constructively and in a spirit of compromise.” And he added: “Our door will remain open until the last day, until the last day that it still serves.”
From the EU perspective, there are only two to three weeks left because then a treaty would have to be ratified. The British side is also showing interest in a quick deal, as the economy on both sides is getting nervous. There are fears of a decline in trade, a disruption in supply chains and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs due to tariffs and delays at borders.
Barnier said the EU was ready to intensify talks and negotiate 24 hours a day, including on the basis of the treaty texts. He also expressly reiterated respect for the sovereignty of Great Britain, which was “a legitimate concern of the Boris Johnson government.” But that is not at stake in the negotiations either.
The transitional phase will run until the end of the year, during which the UK still has free access to the EU internal market and EU exports to the UK are not subject to any restrictions. If no commercial contract is concluded, the duties and fees would impose a heavy burden on the trade.
British voters had voted in 2016 with a narrow majority to leave the EU. Britain left the EU at the end of January 2020, but remains a member of the EU internal market and the customs union during a transition period until the end of the year. Only then comes the economic breakdown.
