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Original title: “It is almost impossible” for Britain and Europe to reach a trade agreement. The EU warns member states not to negotiate with Great Britain. Source: Reference News Network
Reference News Network reported on December 13 According to extensive foreign media reports, British Prime Minister Johnson and European Commission President Von der Lein said on Friday that Britain is likely to complete the Brexit process within three weeks without reaching a deal. commercial. The EU urges member states not to do their thing or to consider reaching a bilateral agreement with the UK once trade negotiations fail.
According to a Reuters London / Brussels report on December 11, the UK withdrew from the European Union in January this year, but remained in the EU single market and customs union until the end of the transition period on December 31st. Both sides said they hope to reach an agreement on a deal that covers nearly $ 1 trillion in annual trade. However, negotiations are currently at a standstill, and the UK will lose tariff- and quota-free access to the huge European Union single market.
An EU official said von der Lein told the leaders of the 27 EU member states who attended the Brussels summit on Friday that prospects for a deal had deteriorated. The official, who asked not to be named, said: “The possibility of no agreement is greater than the possibility of an agreement.”
Johnson told reporters: “It seems that it is very, very likely that we will be forced to adopt a solution that I think is excellent for the UK. As of January 1, we can do exactly what we want. Other than what we currently intend to achieve “.
Johnson said, “If there are major suggestions, if there are major changes in his attitude, then I must say I haven’t seen it.” He’s a representative of the Brexit faction.
A British official said Johnson subsequently met with Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove and officials to assess Britain’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit.
The report noted that the key to the current stalemate is fishing rights, and that the EU requires the UK to bear the consequences in the event of future differences with EU rules. Johnson and Von der Lein took the afternoon of the 13th as the deadline for negotiators to break the deadlock. Johnson must judge whether the existing deal is worth accepting or whether the benefits of a no-deal Brexit outweigh the economic costs. If the UK leaves the European Union without reaching a trade deal, it will damage European economies, affect the entire financial market, cause border instability, and sow the seeds of chaos in fragile supply chains across Europe and beyond.
The British Army is also reported to have declared that it is ready to protect British marine fisheries in the absence of a Brexit deal.
A spokesman for the British Defense Ministry said the department has completed many plans and preparations to ensure that it can deal with a number of issues that may arise after the end of the Brexit transition period.
These preparations are reported to cover 14,000 reserve personnel and 4 Royal Navy patrol boats. These patrol boats will help Britain protect its marine fishing grounds from 1 January next year and will have the right to intercept, inspect and seize all EU fishing vessels operating in the UK’s exclusive economic zone.
The outside world worries that if Britain and Europe cannot reach a final agreement on a number of issues such as fishing rights, the two sides’ fishing boats may conflict at sea. Under the provisions of the transition period, fishing vessels from EU countries have the right to enter British waters to fish before the end of this year.
According to a report published on the UK’s “Financial Times” website on December 11, Brussels warned EU governments not to do their thing or to consider reaching a bilateral agreement with the UK once trade negotiations failed. . The EU advocates a hard line to force Britain to return to the negotiating table “as soon as possible” after January 1 next year.
A diplomatic document seen by a Financial Times journalist showed that Brussels has warned EU member states not to take any action to ease the consequences of the end of the Brexit transition period without a deal.
An EU official with knowledge of the discussion said Brussels “has no illusions” and knows that a no-deal Brexit will be highly unpredictable. “Everyone understands that there is no guarantee that the British will return to the negotiating table.” .
Another senior EU diplomat said hopes of a deal have been dashed. “It is certainly better to come to an agreement, but the situation increasingly shows that the problem is not whether we can prevent the Brexit ship from hitting the rocks, but how to bring it to the surface.”
On the 11th, cargo trucks lined up in the port of Dover, UK, waiting to take the ferry to the European mainland. (European Press Photo Agency)
