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Fishing has proven to be the last stumbling block as negotiators try to wrap up the final phase of the post-Brexit trade relations talks between the EU and the UK.
As member states grappled with how much they were willing to commit to London, long lines of trucks piled up at British ports, and companies waiting for a disruption compounded Christmas and Covid-19 pressures.
Earlier Friday, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the talks were in their “crucial last hours”, ahead of Sunday’s looming deadline set by the European Parliament. But as the day drew to a close, sources close to the negotiations said hours of disputes had failed to bridge the gap between the two parties, and it was still unclear whether there would be an agreement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on the EU to come up with a new offer, insisting his country was prepared to enter a no-deal scenario in less than two weeks, which means tariffs and other barriers to trade that are forecast. that will threaten at least tens of thousands of jobs on both sides.
‘See sense’
“Our door is open. We will continue talking. But I have to say that things seem difficult. And there is a gap that must be overcome. . . We have done a lot to try to help, and we hope that our friends from the EU make sense and come to the table with something themselves, “Johnson told reporters.
“If that does not happen, then on January 1 we will be operating in [World Trade Organisation] terms. An event that obviously takes 4 and a half years in preparation, 4 and a half years in preparation. Yes, it may be difficult at first, but this country will prosper tremendously, as I have said many, many times, on any terms and under any arrangement. “
Eight member states with significant fishing interests have resisted Britain’s demand to revoke most of the roughly € 650 million in fish caught by EU vessels in their territorial waters and decide access in annual negotiations. The two sides remain widely separated, with the EU offering to give up up to 18 percent of its share of fish caught in British waters, while Britain insists on giving up at least 60 percent.
Divided states
A British offer for a separate treatment of demersal or bottom-feeding stocks such as whitefish, and higher-swimming pelagic species such as mackerel, is seen by the EU as a bid to divide states. members pitting the interests of France and Belgium against those of Ireland, Spain and Denmark.
Barnier said a “main obstacle” in the talks was the EU’s desire to have the power to retaliate if London cuts EU fleets’ access to its waters in the future, placing barriers to imports of fish from the UK. UK.
MEPs have warned that it will not be possible to ratify an agreement in time for it to take effect on January 1 if it arrives later than Sunday, while the British side has also warned that it will stop negotiating once the time for a agreement. be in place before the end of the year.
If the talks fail, the EU considers it inevitable that the negotiations will resume in the future, given the parties’ close economic ties, albeit after significant damage to their economies and the relations between the two parties.
“It is the moment of truth. We have very little time left, only a few hours. . . If we want this agreement to go into effect on January 1, ”Barnier said. “There is a possibility of reaching an agreement, but the path to that agreement is very narrow.”
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