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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK should prepare for a no-deal break with the European Union unless there is a “fundamental” shift in the bloc’s position, as the two sides traded blame for failing to reach an agreement. deal in just a few weeks until the year-end deadline.
On Friday (local time), Johnson accused the EU of refusing to give Britain a trade deal like the one it has with Canada, which the UK is seeking. His spokesman went further and said that the talks are indeed over.
“The trade talks are over,” said spokesman James Slack. “The EU effectively ended them yesterday” by stating at a summit in Brussels that the UK would have to change its position significantly or there would be no deal.
AP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK must prepare for a no-deal Brexit.
Downing St’s hardline stance cast doubt on the EU’s intention to continue negotiations in London next week.
Reiterating a statement from Johnson earlier, he said that “only if the EU fundamentally changes its position will it be worth talking about.”
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EU leaders insisted they still want a deal, although as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put it, “not at any price”.
Von der Leyen said that EU negotiator Michel Barnier will travel to London next week “to intensify these negotiations.” Britain appeared to reject that offer.
“It only makes sense for Michel Barnier to come to London next week if he is prepared to discuss all the issues on the basis of the legal texts in an expedited manner without requiring the UK to make all the moves,” Slack said.
Britain hardened its stance and escalated tension without complying with Johnson’s threat to walk away from negotiations if no deal is reached at the EU summit that ends on Friday.
“From what I can see, they have abandoned the idea of a free trade agreement. … Unless there is a fundamental change in approach, we will go for the Australian solution, ”Johnson said in London.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Britain’s foreign minister says only minor differences remain in trade talks between the UK and the European Union. But Dominic Raab insists that the bloc must show more “flexibility” if it wants to reach an agreement.
Australia does not have a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU. The conservative Johnson government insists Britain can still thrive under those conditions, which would mean tariffs and other barriers between the UK and the EU, its biggest trading partner. But many economists say it would be devastating for many British companies, which are already dealing with the huge economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK officially left the EU on January 31, but remains part of its economic structures until December 31. The two sides have been trying to reach an agreement on trade and other relations before then, and say that in practice it must be agreed this month if it is to be ratified before the end of the year.
Despite Johnson’s uncompromising tone, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Friday that the gaps between the two sides were narrow.
Raab said the differences remained on only two issues: the access of EU vessels to UK fishing waters and the “level playing field” rules to ensure fair economic competition between Britain and the bloc.
“The issues are really narrow right now,” Raab said.
Olivier Hoslet / AP
On Thursday, European Union leaders met in person for the first day of a two-day summit, amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, to discuss issues ranging from Brexit to climate and relations with Africa. .
Months of talks have been held on the issues of fisheries, highly symbolic to maritime nations on both sides, and the rules to ensure common regulatory standards and fair competition. The EU fears that the UK will gain an unfair advantage by cutting food, labor and environmental standards and pumping state money into businesses once it is free of the bloc’s rules.
Britain accuses the bloc of trying to impose demands that it has not imposed on other countries with which it has free trade agreements, such as Canada.
“They want the continued ability to control our legislative freedom, our fisheries, in a way that is obviously unacceptable to an independent country,” Johnson said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she still believes it would be in the interests of both parties to reach an agreement.
“No one, not Britain or the EU, wants a deal at any price,” he told reporters in Brussels. “We are prepared to continue negotiating. We have seen light but, of course, also shadows in the most recent negotiations, and if it is up to the European Union, and me personally, we should simply continue these talks. “
French President Emmanuel Macron said a deal “requires effort, especially from the UK.”
“Let us bear in mind that it is the UK that wanted to leave the EU and it needs a deal much more than we do,” he said in Brussels.
Confidence between the two parties, already worn down by years of Brexit acrimony, took a nosedive last month when Johnson introduced legislation that violates parts of the withdrawal agreement he himself signed with the EU last year.
The European Parliament, which must pass any deal, has pledged not to pass any trade deal if the UK government does not withdraw this legislation. Britain says the bill, which has yet to become law, is necessary as an insurance policy in case the EU behaves unreasonably after Brexit.
