[ad_1]
Trade talks between the EU and the UK stalled at the last minute after the French government threatened to veto the deal if it believes the union is giving too much to the British. In London, this is interpreted as the EU tightening its bargaining position at the last minute.
The UK negotiating delegation feels that the EU has tightened its position in the negotiations on the trade agreement of the two parties, which runs the risk that, despite the optimistic mood of recent days, the draft of the The proposed settlement cannot be carried indoors, Bloomberg wrote in December. In his report published at dawn on the 4th. The background of the case is that the French government threatens to veto it if it does not consider the terms of the agreement acceptable.
This was revealed in a briefing given by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit, to the permanent ambassadors of the EU member states in Brussels a day and a half earlier. I would like to see the FTA negotiated by the negotiating parties so that it can be approved by the Council and the European Parliament, as well as by the legislatures of the EU member states and the British Parliament, at the end of December. The new system should be active on January 1, 2021.
Adok-kapok
According to information leaked to Bloomberg, the French ambassador expressed his government’s concern that the EU negotiating delegation would grant too many concessions to the British side for them to eventually collide with the text of the convention. It can also be a problem that there is very little time left to study the agreement thoroughly. However, France is not alone, in fact, it has expressed these doubts at the head of a group of countries. The French position is supported by Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.
According to EU sources, there is nothing new in this, the EU member states have not raised new needs, they are just waiting for the negotiators to validate the existing ones. Some experts say that the British side is playing games, by negotiating the deal, they want to show that the London government is making concessions at the last minute. Sources close to the case continue to see the possibility of an agreement coming to an end in the coming days. This may require a telephone conversation between the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula van der Leyen.
Wow, we’ll get to that
In a videoconference conducted by Barnier from London, where he was discussing – he had already traveled back to Brussels on Friday – ambassadors from various countries said it would not be a disaster if the deal did not materialize this year. It is true that in this case, the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will enter into force in trade between the island country and the countries of the continent as of January 1, but in 2021 the thread of the negotiations and subsequently a free trade system could be introduced.
According to Barnier, it’s not that simple as long as his and his team’s tenure runs through Dec. 31. If negotiations continue in 2021, the EU will have to appoint a new chief negotiator with a new mandate, including a deadline to bring this deal indoors. Meanwhile, he tried to reassure the diplomats that he was strictly adhering to what had been entrusted to him. This could have been verified by those present had they received the draft agreement in preparation, but the Chief Negotiator did not make it available to them as it would have paved the way for a text date.
Small steps
The parties have made progress in harmonizing the economic regulation system, but London has yet to specify which national state aid system it intends to establish and how it can be prevented from providing UK companies with a competitive advantage over their competitors. of the EU.
In the field of fisheries, which is the main objective of French concern, the main question is how long the parties will reach an agreement. London wants an agreement that is renewed every year, which is unacceptable for Paris. As of now, there is no consensus on the distance from British territorial waters to shores and the species and quantities that fishermen can catch.
Finally, there is the British Government’s Internal Market Act hovering over the heads of negotiators, which would partially nullify the British-EU Brexit Agreement signed a year ago. Understandably, this was in the best interest of the Irish ambassador, as the agreement was intended to keep the border between Ireland and the North open. To do this, Northern Ireland must remain in the EU single market while Britain leaves English for a separate customs and regulatory regime.
[ad_2]
