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A Brexit under the tree. In the last very hot hours, the British and European negotiators they managed to break the deadlock that had been going on for several weeks. The deal, according to rumors, could be announced later today, allowing Westminster and the EU Parliament to start ratifying the text.
The acceleration – although expected by both parties – surprised observers, with the thermometer of the negotiating tables that for some time had detected the great freeze on the London-Brussels axis: in this sense, it was decisive the direct intervention of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, which in the last week has savored the willingness of Boris Johnson – and of some Member States, from France to Denmark – to review their positions on the files still open.
Brexit: the announcement of the agreement today?
Last weekend also expired the latest deadline set by the EU Parliament for the conclusion of the negotiations. The Brussels ultimatum responded to a purely technical question: parliamentarians must indeed ratify the agreement for it to enter into force in the European Union, but with the passing of hours the possibility of a final text being approved at the end of the transition period slim down.
Now, although four days later than expected by Brussels, negotiators are ready to lock divorce files. In case of agreement already in the next few hours, Westminster would meet in extraordinary session on December 30, while the EU Parliament could ask for more time to see the details of the text: in any case, the agreement would be applied provisionally to avoid a regime, albeit temporary, of no agreement.
Scenarios, these, possible thanks to the good offices of Ursula von der Leyen, who for days was trying to soften the positions of the UK and the European Union in terms of competition and fishing rights. The first knot has been resolved, guaranteeing Brussels not to see some kind of Singapore rise beyond the Canal, while a compromise has been reached on the access front to the respective coastal waters for British and European fishing vessels.
And it was this last knot that froze the negotiating tables in recent weeks. To weigh over all the dictation of France: the Elysee wanted to protect its fishing boats, which for years had been used to big fishing in the Queen’s waters, but also Denmark – through the words of its ambassador – had urged chief negotiator Michel Barnier not to sell more than 25% of current quotas to the UK. All this is behind us: the agreement is one step away.
