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Von der Leyen warns Johnson before negotiating crown distance
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“But keep your distance,” von der Leyen said.
What: REUTERS
“You have a strict regime,” the British Prime Minister told EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when asked to keep a safe distance. It remains to be seen how tough the Germans will be in talks about a trade deal.
reBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson consults in Brussels on a solution to the stalled negotiations on a trade deal after Brexit. Johnson arrived on Wednesday for a dinner with the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. He greeted him in the main building of the EU Commission, in front of which the British flag was raised.
“A good deal is still possible,” Johnson said before leaving London. At the same time, he called for a willingness to commit to EU rules. The EU is currently insisting that the UK adopt its new laws and regulations, he said. Otherwise, he wants “automatically the right (…) to punish us and fight back.” London could not accept this.
How long the discussions would last at dinner was open. When Johnson arrived, they both removed their protective crown masks for a photo.
Von der Leyen ordered the prime minister to maintain the necessary safety distance. “Well, we should put it back,” von der Leyen said then. “Do you think you should put it on now?” Johnson asked. “Okay, okay, okay, you have tight control here, but you’re also right.”
Merkel is still waiting for a breakthrough
Britain left the EU on February 1, but the country will remain in the internal market and the EU customs union until the end of the year. In the transition phase, it has not yet been possible to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal. The main points of contention in the negotiations remain a fair playing field, control of a future agreement and the fishing rights of EU fishers in UK waters.
In the morning, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) was cautious about the prospects for successful talks: “There is still the possibility of an agreement, we continue to work on it,” she said in the Bundestag. However, if conditions on the British side are not acceptable, the EU is also prepared to go “a path without a withdrawal agreement”.
Without an agreement, customs duties would be imposed on mutual trade by the end of the year. Trade associations expect not only massive border jams in delivery traffic, but also billions in additional costs and lost revenue.
Before the high-level meeting in Brussels, the two sides had resolved a major point of contention over Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Consequently, London has decided not to make unilateral changes to the Brexit agreement that is already in force in this area. EU Vice President Maros Sefcovic described this as a possible “positive boost” for trade negotiations.
