EU bosses urge progress in Brexit talks

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European Union leaders have called for more progress in post-Brexit trade talks in a call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

European Council President Charles Michel tweeted that he and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had “pushed again for progress at the negotiating table.”

In a statement, Downing Street said Johnson expressed “disappointment” that talks with the EU have not progressed further.

In the call, Johnson said he will reflect on the outcome of this week’s EU summit before setting out the UK’s next steps.

He previously suggested that he would walk away from the negotiating table if there was no agreement on a trade deal before the two-day summit meeting in Brussels that starts tomorrow.

Following the call, a 10th spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister noted the desirability of a deal, but expressed disappointment that no further progress had been made in the last two weeks.

“The prime minister said he looked forward to hearing the outcome of the European Council and would reflect before setting out the UK’s next steps in light of his statement on 7 September.”

Negotiations between the EU and the UK will continue for the next two weeks despite Johnson’s earlier claim that this week’s EU leaders’ summit marks the deadline for a deal, according to a source close to the talks. .

There is growing pessimism that key obstacles to a deal, such as fishing and the so-called level playing field, can be overcome in the short term, the source says.

On a broader level, London believes that the EU is not yet fully accepting of the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country after Brexit, the source says.

This appears to be delaying discussions on fisheries, state aid, how disputes will be resolved, and the EU’s ability to retaliate in different sectors if there is a dispute.

Fishing is one of the obstacles to a deal

It is also understood that London is insisting that it will keep the provisions of the Internal Market Bill that violate the Northern Ireland Protocol in the statute books once the bill becomes law, despite the insistence of the EU that no Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be ratified unless the clauses are withdrawn.

Both chief negotiators, Michel Barnier from the EU and David Frost from the British side, have led the negotiations in Brussels this week.

The source confirmed that negotiations will continue for the next few weeks.

The UK goes on to argue that it is simply seeking the same type of FTAs ​​as those recently signed by the EU with other third countries, such as Canada, Japan and South Korea.

On the controversial issue of state aid, and how both parties can ensure that the other does not undermine it when it comes to subsidizing companies or industries, Barnier has proposed a “toolbox” containing four separate measures.

These include both parties adhering to “high-level principles”, the requirement that the UK have a strong and independent competition authority, the creation of a dispute settlement mechanism, and the ability for both parties to quickly take action. retaliation that would not be necessary. limited to the imposition of duties on the goods of the other party.

According to a source close to the negotiations, both parties are willing to accept that general framework, but are somewhat far apart on the individual components.

The EU remains pessimistic on the issue of fisheries. A source close to the talks noted that if there is no blanket agreement, European fleets will not be legally entitled to any fishing quotas in UK waters.

EU coastal member states, including Ireland, have taken a tougher line in recent weeks to maintain the status quo as much as possible, meaning that EU fleets would continue to enjoy access to the waters of the United Kingdom and could largely capture their share of the stocks found in between both EU and UK waters, as they currently do under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Additional information Tony Connelly



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