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The British government sees little progress, negotiator David Frost said after another week of video conferencing on both sides. The stalemate is unfortunate.
There has been “very little progress” in reaching an agreement “on the most important open questions between us.” This applies above all to the point of fair and equitable competitive conditions. The EU wants Britain to at least partially adapt to applicable EU rules to avoid unequal competitive conditions.
Frost believes deals are possible until end of year
However, he still considers a deal by the end of the year to be “possible,” Frost said. In matters such as law enforcement, an agreement within the schedule is possible without major problems.
EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier also said the talks were “disappointing”. Apart from some “modest” successes, “this week it was not possible to advance on the most difficult issues.” He was “disappointed with the lack of ambition on the British side in other areas that are not the focus of the negotiations, but are important and symbolic.”
The next round of talks must move forward to avoid a deadlock. He was not very optimistic, but the EU was not ready to negotiate its values.
Negotiations on trade and association agreements are ongoing. Britain had left the EU in late January. There is a transition period until the end of 2020, so nothing has changed in everyday life. If an agreement is not reached within this period, there is a risk of a strong economic breakdown.
Time is of the essence: the decision in June is to extend the transition period. Britain has so far strictly rejected this. A new round of negotiations via video conference is planned for the week from the beginning of the month.
