[ad_1]
Talks about Britain’s future relationship with the European Union have entered their final week with only two major issues to be resolved, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday.
Teams led by EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and David Frost for the UK spoke over the weekend in London and both sides agreed that time is running out to reach an agreement in time for it to be approved by the European Parliament and Westminster.
“I think this is a very significant week, the last real major week subject to any further postponement in terms of time,” Raab told the BBC.
“We really focus on two basic questions. But I am thinking in particular of the fisheries issue, and we need the EU to accept the point of principle that, as we go through the transition period, it is a fact of leaving the EU that we regain sovereignty and control of our own coastline, as a coastal state, control of our own waters and our own fisheries. ”
Mr Raab identified the other pending issue as a level playing field, guarantees of fair competition, although he said there had been progress there with the EU showing “greater respect” for the British position. EU sources are more cautious, noting that significant differences on a level playing field remain and that the two sides have yet to agree on how any deal will be enforced.
Both sides agree that a large gap in fisheries must be bridged, with Britain calling for the EU to lose 80 percent of its catch in British waters, while the EU wants to give up less than 20 percent. Fishing is politically sensitive in Britain and in several EU coastal states, but it is economically insignificant and the annual value of the disputed catch is hundreds of millions of euros.
“We should be able, on both sides, to resolve the fisheries if you take the context of the broader economic gains and the potential downsides of not having an additional agreement,” Raab said.
Northern Ireland Protocol
Any agreement must be ratified by the European Parliament and, although it will not be put to a direct vote in the House of Commons, MPs will have to pass the implementing legislation. A Labor leader suggested on Sunday that his party will back a deal on the grounds that it will provide a framework for relations with the EU that can be improved in the future.
But shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said Labor support would depend on the outcome of negotiations on how the Northern Ireland protocol will be implemented.
“We want to see an agreement, it would cause incalculable financial damage if we left without an agreement. It’s not what the EU wants, it’s certainly not what the Irish government wants and it’s definitely not what we want, so we want to see a deal, but until we see a deal being built, we cannot confirm our support for ” he told Sky News.
“Obviously, there are still big questions about the Irish border and the peace process, making sure that is not sacrificed as part of any agreement that is reached. Our point of view is: with good will, with time invested, we can reach a point where there is an agreement that we can support ”.
[ad_2]