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EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has warned that there is no guarantee of a trade deal with the UK as time is running out.
s Trade talks on Brexit continued in London. Mr Barnier briefed the ambassadors of the EU member states in Brussels via a video link.
“We are fast approaching a watershed moment in the Brexit talks,” Barnier told the 27 EU envoys, a Brussels official revealed.
“Intensive negotiations continue in London, but as of this morning it is still unclear whether negotiators can close the gaps on issues such as a level playing field, governance and fisheries,” Barnier continued.
Some diplomats said Barnier believed the outcome of the eight months of talks would be decided in the next few days, possibly late on Thursday or Friday. UK officials are not committed to any formal deadline, but agree privately that the next few days could be crucial.
An EU diplomat expressed “frustration” at the delays and continued uncertainty. “Today we cannot say whether there will be an agreement or not,” the diplomat remarked.
Some member states, including France and the Netherlands, fear that the EU side will grant too much just to get a last-minute deal. Therefore, Mr Barnier’s briefing was seen in part as a measure to calm nerves and ensure that undue concessions will not be made to the UK and that the fundamental interests of the EU are upheld.
But not all the ambassadors were completely convinced. “I am not sure that what Barnier said has managed to assuage concerns. Closing the division would require too big of a jump,” a diplomat told the French news agency AFP.
Any deal needs ratification by the EU member states, as well as the British and European parliaments, a process that would begin after about two weeks of translation and legal scrutiny.
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