[ad_1]
The European Union’s top Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said he will travel to London tonight to talk with his British counterpart David Frost on a new trade deal, but said “the same significant divergences remain.”
The problems that remain to be solved are those related to governance, the so-called level playing field and fisheries.
In-person conversations stopped after a member of Barnier’s team recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Barnier said in a tweet this morning that according to Belgian rules, he and his team are no longer in quarantine.
He said he will report back to member states and the European Parliament and that a video conference of fisheries ministers from eight coastal states, including Ireland, is also scheduled for today.
Latest Brexit Stories
According to the Belgian rules, my team and I are no longer in quarantine. Physical negotiations can continue.
I am informing the Member States and @Europarl_ES today. The same significant divergences persist.
Travel to London tonight to continue 🇪🇺🇬🇧 talks with @DavidGHFrost + team.
– Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) November 27, 2020
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney described the talks on the final outstanding issues to reach a post-Brexit EU-UK trade deal as “very, very difficult”.
On Wednesday, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned that any agreement must not undermine the EU single market.
He warned that Britain will not enjoy the benefits of EU membership from abroad: “There will be a clear difference between being a full member of the Union and just being a valued partner.”
The British government has resisted accepting the EU’s vision of a post-Brexit “level playing field”, with trade sanctions if either party deviates from agreed standards.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also introduced a bill to govern the UK’s domestic market that his own government admits would violate promises made in Britain’s EU withdrawal treaty.
The talks have passed several unofficial deadlines, leaving only a small window for a deal before the end of the year.
If an agreement cannot be signed and ratified by December 31, cross-channel trade will face a tariff barrier.
[ad_2]