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The gap between British and EU negotiators on the remaining Brexit hotspot of fishing rights remains wide, but enough progress has been made that a deal is still likely, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin said that a possible Brexit deal is “all set.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said: “If you had a breakthrough tonight or tomorrow, officials in Europe could be working on the text on Christmas Day.
“Ultimately, I believe that given the progress that has been made, there should be an agreement. A no-deal would be a terrible blow to the economic system in addition to Covid-19.”
He said it is a time of concern for fishing communities in Ireland and that an honorable agreement must be reached which creates stability for this industry in the future.
The problem is not just about monetary terms, he said, but about the sustainability and protection of many communities whose entire ecosystem is based on fishing.
Britain wants to have annual negotiations on access to its waters, which would be a recipe for instability, he said.
The Taoiseach added: “You will have read that the European Union put 25% on the table in terms of granting that amount of catch in UK waters and a six-year transition period and I think Britain has a (position) much stricter. “
EU and UK officials will continue their last-minute negotiations in Brussels with the EU today, noting that persistent differences over fisheries could mean no agreement is reached in time for December 31, when the period ends. Brexit transition.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told member states that the latest UK offer to grant European ships access to British waters is not acceptable.
But he said the EU would give a final push to the negotiations.
It emerged that there have been a number of phone calls in recent days between the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and they are expected to continue.
Despite the tightening of the position on fisheries, some diplomats and EU officials have said that a Brexit deal could be reached tomorrow.
That is the last point at which any treaty can enter into force on January 1, even provisionally.
The European Parliament said that the deadline has long passed for MEPs to formally ratify an agreement, so any agreement would have to be applied provisionally.
Both parties would have to agree to this, and obtaining a provisional application over the line has its own procedural obligations.
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Officials from the Member States will spend at least four hours today evaluating the content of what has been agreed so far, but they will not be allowed to see any draft legal texts.
Everything gives the impression of a last-minute spike in activity.
But with a breakthrough still out of reach in fisheries and a host of other unfinished business, negotiators may well be talking beyond Christmas Day.
If that’s the case, even if a deal is reached just before December 31, there would still be a brief No Deal result in January.
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