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Michel Barnier, head of the European Commission negotiating delegation, spoke to British chief negotiator David Frost on video Monday afternoon and said on Twitter: He confirmed to Frost that the EU was ready to intensify talks with London this week on all topics based on legally binding draft texts.
Maros Sefcovic, vice-president for interinstitutional relations at the European Commission, also discussed in London with Michael Gove, head of the cabinet office that coordinates the work of the British government, the implementation in Northern Ireland of the protocol of the agreement on the conditions for termination of British membership in the EU.
The aim of this protocol is to avoid the need to reintroduce physical checks at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the EU, after a transitional period that expires on December 31.
Sefcovic said in a statement after the London trial that an agreement had been reached with the British side on the need to intensify contacts at all levels.
Michael Gove, who is also responsible for leading preparations for the failure of the planned bilateral free trade agreement with the EU, said in his assessment of the situation in the London Chamber on Monday night that the British government expected the transition it will be completed before the end of December. Reach an agreement with the EU on a type of free trade agreement that the EU has with Canada, but “as things are now, this is not going to happen.”
He added, however, that London was unequivocally and fully committed to reaching such a free trade agreement, but that a fundamental change in the EU’s position was needed to relaunch the process leading to it.
Michel Barnier’s post on Twitter about his discussion with the British negotiator appeared during Gove’s speech in the House of Commons, and the British minister responded by saying that a constructive step had been taken by the EU, which he welcomed with satisfaction.
He added that if there were advances, “and it seems that there is”, no one would be happier than him.
Nine rounds of negotiations on the terms of a future bilateral relationship have not produced substantial results, and at last week’s EU summit in Brussels, member state leaders adopted a resolution stating that London should take further action to reach an agreement.
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister’s Office, Boris Johnson, said: London’s interpretation was that the EU had practically ended trade negotiations by expecting further action from the British side only, and that there was no point in continuing the talks this week unless that the EU changed. position.
Michel Barnier was originally scheduled to visit London on Monday, but this was overlooked due to a sudden escalation of tensions following the final declaration adopted at the EU summit.
However, the European Commission’s chief negotiator said in a Twitter post on Monday confirming the EU’s increased willingness to negotiate, he looked forward to London’s response to the latest developments.
Cover image: Shutterstock
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