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LONDON – The tension marks the eighth round of negotiations between the European Union and Britain for the post-Brexit period, in exceptional circumstances that the two sides are going through.
The tone intensified between London and Brussels on Monday on the eve of the resumption of negotiations on their post-Brexit relationship, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to close the door to negotiations in mid-October and prepare to go back to some of the previous commitments, according to the Financial Times.
Johnson set Sunday October 15 as the deadline to conclude a post-Brexit deal with the European Union, repeating before the opening of the eighth round of negotiations this week in London that the UK will not compromise its independence.
“The European Union has been very clear about the timing. Me too. There must be an agreement with our European friends before the European Council date of October 15 if it is to come into force at the end of the year,” he said.
If this does not happen, London will withdraw from the negotiations and accept this outcome, which the business community fears for its potentially catastrophic economic consequences in an already difficult period due to the emerging Corona virus.
In a sign of growing investor concerns, the British pound fell sharply on Monday in financial markets.
Brussels, for its part, had said that an agreement must be reached before the end of October to allow European ratification in time.
The information reported by the British ‘Financial Times’ confused the already tense atmosphere between the two parties.
According to the British newspaper, the Johnson government will present a bill on Wednesday that would “cancel” the legal scope of some parts of the agreement that determined the exit from the European Union on January 31, including customs regulations in Northern Ireland.
According to the Northern Ireland Protocol, this British boycott will have to follow some EU rules after the post-Brexit transition period to ensure there are no physical borders and avoid a return of tension in this region that has seen bloody conflict. three decades.
The British Prime Minister’s office confirmed that limited steps have been taken to clarify this protocol “in order to remove any ambiguity and avoid unintended consequences” of the UK internal market or peace process provision.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Britain was “bound by law to respect its departure from the European Union, which is a prerequisite for any future association.”
“Everything that has been signed in the past must be respected. It is a guarantee of confidence in the future,” Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier told France Inter radio.
For his part, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said this bill would be “a reckless way forward.”
The UK formally left the union on January 31, after nearly four years of a historic referendum that marked the end of nearly fifty years of union membership, but European rules still apply in the kingdom until December 31. , at a time when the two parties are trying to reach a conclusion. A free trade agreement.
Negotiations fail, especially on the issue of fishing and the conditions for fair competition. It is supposed to resume on Tuesday in London, while previous meetings have made no progress in this regard.
The past few days have seen mutual accusations between negotiators, with Barnier accusing London of showing “no willingness to make concessions”, and Britain’s David Frost confirmed over the weekend that the UK would not become a “state. dependent”.
“Even at this last stage, if the European Union is willing to rethink its position, I will be happy,” warned Boris Johnson, saying that the UK will not compromise “on its fundamentals as an independent country to reach an agreement.”
And in the event that no deal is reached, World Trade Organization rules with high tariffs and extensive customs controls will be implemented, further weakening economies severely affected by the epidemic.
Johnson said: “We will have a trade agreement with the European Union similar” to the agreement with Australia, or similar to the agreement with Canada and other countries.
A European diplomatic source in Brussels said: “If the prime minister wants to jump off the Brexit cliff for ideological reasons, the European Union will have no way around it. On the contrary, if the UK’s approach becomes more realistic, it is likely that there is a good chance to save the negotiations and reach an agreement. ” In October. “
