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Updated 2 hours ago
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson will fly to Brussels today for a dinner with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The two leaders will try to salvage the negotiations after talks stalled a few weeks before the end of the transition period on December 31.
The prime minister and the EU chief will discuss ongoing attempts to make a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal, though the lunch will not be a formal negotiating session.
Both sides have set the stage for a potentially decisive luncheon at the EU Commission headquarters in Berlaymont tonight.
Johnson will depart for the Belgian capital after participating in the Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
Von der Leyen said he was “looking forward” to welcoming the British prime minister, tweeting: “We will continue our discussion on the Association Agreement.”
Downing Street hopes the dinner can pave the way for talks to resume between negotiators Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost, but there were warnings that Johnson and von der Leyen must find the will to break out of the stalemate first.
However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told Dáil yesterday that the move should not be construed as a sign that a deal is imminent.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that yesterday was a “historic day” that would guarantee respect for the Northern Ireland Protocol regardless of the outcome of the trade talks.
The Fine Gael leader also said he agreed with an earlier suggestion by Martin that there was a “50-50” chance of a deal being reached.
“I think the assessment is correct,” Varadkar said.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has warned the bloc’s foreign ministers that he now believes a no-deal Brexit is more likely than a trade deal to be reached at the end of the transition period on December 31.
The leaders of the 27 EU member states will meet tomorrow in Brussels for a two-day summit, which could give further political momentum to a deal.
UK Chief Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said this morning that the EU will have to give ground if there is to be any hope of a breakthrough in the crucial talks.
When asked about Barnier’s assessment, he said, “No, I don’t think it’s correct to say that yet.”
“I think there is an opportunity tonight for the Prime Minister and Ursula von der Leyen, and they have a good relationship, to look for a potential way out,” he told BBC Radio 4.
Gove also said that von der Leyen “would like to make sure that all EU member states recognize that a deal benefits everyone and that it will require some degree of movement for some on the EU side.”
That comment could be seen as a reference to French warnings that President Emmanuel Macron could veto a deal, with Paris especially concerned about the issue of fishing rights, one of the main obstacles to a deal.
Paused conversations
The EU and the UK hope to establish a trade relationship with zero tariffs and quotas, which would prevent further disruptions from January 1.
The talks between Frost and Barnier came to a halt after both sides came as close to a deal as political red lines allowed.
Although 97% of a deal is reportedly agreed, political leaders must make decisions on the final issues.
Negotiations have faltered on the same issues that have plagued the negotiations from the beginning: fishing rights; level playing field measures to prevent the UK from downgrading the EU on state subsidies and rules; and how to discuss and resolve trade disputes.
Johnson said yesterday that trade talks with the EU are proving “very complicated” but that he hopes the “power of sweet reason” will triumph.
A spokesman for the prime minister also said Frost was scheduled to return to London last night to discuss remaining differences to reach a free trade deal with Johnson.
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Today’s meeting between Johnson and von der Leyen follows an announcement by the UK yesterday that it would remove clauses from the Internal Market Bill that would have allowed ministers to violate international law.
It means that the Northern Ireland Protocol, which would mean that goods traveling from the mainland UK to Ireland via the North will be controlled after crossing the Irish Sea, can be implemented in practice.
The agreement covers issues such as border controls on animal and vegetable products, the supply of medicines and the delivery of refrigerated meats and other food products to supermarkets.
There was also a “clarification” on the application of the state subsidy rules.
Michael Gove will present more details of the agreement reached yesterday on the bill today.
He told reporters that companies in Northern Ireland would get “the best of both worlds” with access to the EU single market and “unfettered access” to Britain.
With reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodha and Press Association.
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