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There are no signs of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations; there is the threat of a hard rift between the EU and Britain by the end of the year. London is preparing for this scenario with a strategy book. All the information on the news blog.
Britain and the European Union are still negotiating a deal for the British to leave the EU. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have extended a deadline that originally ran until Sunday. The sticking points have not changed for months: fishing, fair competition and the question of how agreements are legally enforced in the event of a dispute.
UK government publishes details on no-deal preparation
Hours before the end of what is likely to be the last deadline in the fight for a Brexit trade pact, the London government has released details of its “no deal” plan. A government spokesman said a strategy book had been developed in which “all foreseeable scenarios were developed.”
It is feared that a “no-deal” after the end of the Brexit transition phase could lead to miles of traffic jams on the roads leading to the major ferry terminal in Dover by the end of the year. Much of the trade with mainland Europe is via the ferry connection to Calais in France and via the nearby Eurotunnel.
In any case, some physical checks must be implemented. But if no agreement is reached, there would also be customs duties and quantitative restrictions that should be observed. The formalities and controls required for this could quickly overwhelm small and medium-sized businesses in particular and cause trucks to get stuck at checkpoints. Furthermore, some of the computer programs that were developed for this purpose could not be tested.
The government spokesman emphasized that 900 additional employees had already been hired for border controls. 1,100 more should come on board in March. For the inspections, seven locations have been established inside and one headquarters, which is in operation around the clock. There would also be hotlines and an app that transportation companies could use.
Negotiations on post-Brexit deal resume
UK and EU have expanded their negotiations on a trade deal after Brexit. “Despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations,” both sides “wanted to go one step further,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels on Sunday after a phone call with the prime minister Briton, Boris Johnson.
Brexit negotiations shortly before the deadline remain difficult
Shortly before the likely decisive day in the fight for a Brexit trade pact, according to information from negotiating circles, no other solution is in sight. Negotiations in Brussels continued but remained difficult, the British said Saturday night. Talks are likely to continue, including Sunday. As planned, the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are expected to speak to each other on Sunday, he said. The British position remained unchanged: any agreement must be fair and respect the principles of sovereignty and control.
Britain left the EU at the beginning of the year. There is still a transition period until the end of the year, during which almost everything will remain the same. If no trade pact has been agreed by then, there is a risk of high tariffs and other trade barriers. The main points of contention are the issues of fair competition and European fishermen’s access to British waters. Both parties have been given until Sunday to reach an agreement.
A British warship (symbolic image) – The British Navy has ships ready to protect its own waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit. (Source: YuliixZozulia / imago images)
London wants to take action against EU fishing trawlers without any deal with the Royal Navy
The British government has four Royal Navy ships ready to protect its waters from EU fishing tractors in the event of a no-deal Brexit. This was confirmed by a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in London at the request of the German press agency on Saturday. Navy patrol boats could be used to repel EU fishing boats, among other tasks, the spokesman said. If necessary, also 24 hours a day.
The fisheries issue is one of the sticking points in the stalled negotiations on a Brexit trade pact. There is still a transition period until the end of the year, during which British fishermen and their colleagues from EU countries share access to the 200-mile zone around their coast claimed by Britain. London insists on regulating access to fish-rich waters at its own discretion in the future. The EU insists on a friendly solution. But that is not in sight. Both parties have been given until Sunday to advance the negotiations.
Oliver Dowden: The British Minister for Culture and the Media is even more optimistic than his Prime Minister. (Source: Mark Thomas / imago images)
British minister remains optimistic
After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s skeptical words about a Brexit trade pact with the EU, the London government is now backing down a bit. He agrees with the head of government that the negotiations are likely to fail. But there is “a significant chance that we can get this deal done,” Culture and Media Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Friday. “We did almost 90 percent of the way.” A trade agreement is the best solution for both the EU and the UK, but not at any price.
Johnson had said Thursday night: “I think we have to make it very, very clear that now there is a high probability – a high probability – that we have a solution that is more in line with Australia’s relationship with the EU than the Canadian “. Everyone would have to prepare now for “the Australian option”, that is, trade without an agreement, with tariffs in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization.
The foreign ministers of Germany and Ireland still consider Brexit possible
Despite negative signals from Brussels and London, the chancellors of Germany and Ireland believe that an agreement is still possible in the Brexit negotiations. “We believe that an agreement is difficult, but that it is still possible,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said in a meeting with his Irish colleague Simon Coveney on Friday in Berlin. The EU will continue to negotiate as long as the window for a deal is “just opened a little”.
“We want an agreement, but an agreement that makes sense,” Maas said. The EU is also prepared in case there is no deal. And in this case, the EU and Great Britain “would remain partners and friends”. “It will be our responsibility to make that very clear even after such a situation,” Maas said.
His Irish colleague Coveney said his country was one of the hardest hit by Brexit. “We still believe that it is possible to agree on the future relationship and enter into a business agreement,” Coveney said.
Norway threatens the EU and Britain
If post-Brexit talks fail, Norway is threatening to close its waters to fishermen from the EU and Britain on January 1. Necessary agreements on fishing rights between the three parties off the coast of non-EU member Norway next year after Britain’s departure from the EU would have been seriously delayed due to wavering negotiations between Brussels and London. said Norwegian Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen. on Friday in front of the parliament in Oslo. If there is no agreement on fishing before the end of the year, Norway will close its waters to British and EU vessels.
The EU and Norway have regulated fishing in their respective waters since 1980 with an agreement. This allows fishermen from EU countries to access the Norwegian Sea and vice versa. Due to Brexit, the contracts between Brussels, London and Oslo had to be renegotiated. Norway and Great Britain agreed to a successor agreement in September. Therefore, the Oslo government now sees the turn of the EU.
Von der Leyen is grooming heads of state for “No Deal”
Brexit was also a topic at the EU summit on Thursday. The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave little hope to the heads of state and government. Read more here.
Johnson transfers Queen over Brexit
The British Prime Minister and the Queen traditionally meet before Christmas. But this year Johnson may postpone the meeting on short notice. Read more here.
Johnson puts the British on the failure of the talks
After the Brexit dinner, Prime Minister Johnson is pessimistic about the final momentum of negotiations for a trade deal. On television, he asks the British to prepare for the failure of the talks. Read more here.
