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When the heads of state and government of the European Union want to continue speaking with the United Kingdom, London indirectly threatened Thursday night to interrupt the talks. British chief negotiator David Frost said on Twitter that he was “disappointed” that the European Council did not want to “speed up” negotiations on future relations. He was also “surprised” that all the trains were from the UK; that is an “unusual approach to negotiations.” He announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would comment on Friday “in light of his statement on September 7.” At the time, Johnson had said that a trade deal should be closed by October 15.
Thomas gutschker
Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and Benelux countries based in Brussels.
The heads of government asked their negotiator, Michel Barnier, to “continue negotiations for the next few weeks.” The first version of the conclusions said “intensify”. They asked London to make “the necessary moves” to allow an agreement on future relations.
At the same time, preparations must be accelerated in the event of a failure to reach an agreement. “We want an agreement, but of course, not at any price,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said when she arrived in Brussels. It must be a fair agreement “from which both parties can benefit.” French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that the fish issue is particularly important to him. “There is no way that our fishermen will be victims of Brexit,” he said. They should still have access to UK waters.
EU Council President Charles Michel said after about three hours of deliberations that Britain’s desire for sovereignty must be respected after leaving the EU. But the terms London accepts will also determine how broad Britain’s future access to the EU internal market will be. That is London’s only option. Barnier said he would be “available to negotiate until the last business day.” The talks could continue next Monday in London and a week later in Brussels. However, so far there is no prospect of an agreement on the three most difficult issues: fair conditions of competition, monitoring of the agreement and fishing quotas.
Council President Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had called Johnson on Wednesday night. Both parties expressed their disappointment that it had not yet been possible to overcome the conflicting interests. However, Johnson continued to call a deal “desirable.” A government spokesman said the prime minister is awaiting the outcome of the European Council before considering next steps “in light of his statement on 7 September”. Johnson had said that day, “If we don’t reach an agreement by then, I don’t see there is a free trade agreement between us.”
