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Negotiations on the terms of a future trade relationship between the UK and the European Union are continuing, according to a joint statement from the British government and the European Commission on Sunday.
Before the announcement, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a telephone conversation on Sunday afternoon.
According to a joint statement issued in London and Brussels after a brief consultation, the two leaders had a useful and constructive telephone conversation, according to Ursula von der Leyen in a few sentences, and the two leaders reviewed important issues still to be resolved.
Despite the exhaustion caused by more than a year of negotiations, the new and even new deadlines that have passed without result, we believe: currently, the responsible solution is to take the necessary measures, ”the statement said.
To that end, Johnson and von der Leyen He instructed the two negotiating delegations to continue the negotiations and try to determine whether an agreement could be reached even at this late stage.
The two leaders personally discussed the controversial issues in Brussels on Wednesday night and agreed to continue negotiations on a future bilateral relationship.
It was also agreed at Wednesday’s meeting that a firm decision should be reached on Sunday.
The British press has unanimously treated this as the deadline for the talks, and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also told BBC radio this week that any decision made on Sunday will be the end result of the talks.
However, the official London announcement of Wednesday’s meeting, in a somewhat different way than the European Commission communication, actually said that Johnson and von der Leyen had to reach a firm decision on the “future of the negotiations. “by Sunday, that is, whether the discussions should continue in London. and the EU.
On the Sunday program of BBC Television’s political magazine, a few hours before Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen had a phone conversation and a report about it, Dominic Raab the foreign minister also gave direct hints that the talks would not necessarily end on Sunday.
There is no more deadline in a joint Sunday statement from Downing Street and the European Commission.
Johnson has repeatedly pointed out in recent days that instead of a free trade agreement as the main objective of the negotiations, there is a growing possibility of a future system of “Australian-type” relations with the EU.
In a statement on Thursday, the British prime minister called it a “powerful opportunity”, already “very, very likely” on Friday.
It has been regularly mentioned by the British government among the options so far. An “Australian type” trading system would effectively mean that trade between the UK and the EU would continue from January, after the current transition period, in accordance with the general rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). ), with tariffs in the current trade without obstacles.
The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union on January 31. The day of his departure began a transitional period until December 31, which will expire in less than three weeks, with the aim of allowing time to agree on the terms of the future bilateral system, in particular a free trade agreement.
However, so far no agreement has been reached in the rounds of negotiations. The most heated debate between London and the EU is about a level playing field and regulation of fisheries.
If an agreement is reached in the next few days, the convention will need to be ratified by both the European Parliament and the British legislature before the end of the year so that the treaty can enter into force on January 1 at the end of the transitional period.
(MTI)
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