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BRUSSELS (Aftenposten): Boris Johnson and EU leader Ursula von der Leyen disagreed on Monday night. According to Reuters, the parties now have “in the best case” 48 hours to find a solution.
Boris Johnson has yet to give any sign of whether he wants a Brexit deal or not. Last week, his main concern was bragging that the British are the first to get vaccinated in Europe. Photo: Dylan Martinez, AP / NTB
Once again, it has been a depressing weekend of negotiations for Brexit negotiators. And again, deadlines are pushed forward and broken.
Monday was currently the deadline. After a failed meeting between EU Prime Minister Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday night, they agreed to give each other 48 hours.
The mood was a bit more encouraging when Ursula von der Leyen visited Boris Johnson in Downing Street earlier this year. Photo: Toby Melville, Reuters / NTB
The two spoke again on a conference call Monday night. According to The Guardian, the meeting must have lasted at least 90 minutes. Johnson will now travel to Brussels in the coming days, where there will be an EU summit on Thursday.
According to the Reuters news agency, the parties now have “in the best case” 48 hours to find a solution.
“Negotiations between the EU and the UK have come to the end. Time is running out very soon,” said EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
According to the news agency, he gave his clients in Brussels a pessimistic assessment of the negotiations.
“It is up to the UK to choose between a positive outcome or no agreement.”
The UK has lost focus
One of the really big problems now is that the UK may have lost focus and gone crazy on its own.
Last week, Boris Johnson was most concerned about domestic political issues and not least about the news that the UK will be the first country in Europe to launch a long-awaited vaccine. A feather in the cap of the most affected covid country, with the most deaths in Europe.
Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of Britain’s most ardent opponents of Brexit and a strong supporter of Britain leaving the EU without a deal. Photo: Stefan Rousseau, Reuters / NTB
That news was also used by the most outspoken supporters of Brexit. Those who are eager for Britain to leave the EU without a deal, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, arch-conservative and leader of the House of Commons.
“This is just a warning of what will happen when we get rid of the wet hand of the EU,” Rees-Mogg boasted.
– Both Germany, France and other European countries tried to be the first, without success. But we did it! And we must leave the EU. It’s about regaining control, he said.
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The EU’s hard front is cracking
It has also pleased the British that the 27 EU member states, which for more than three years have stood together and been like an impenetrable wall, appear to be cracking.
Once again, French President Emmanuel Macron has managed to incite the British. Photo: Ludovic Marin, AP / NTB
This weekend, Emmanuel Macron announced that France has nothing to offer on fish and that the country is willing to veto if French fishing rights are not safeguarded. France was supported by the heavy fishing nations of the EU, such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.
While other more forgiving countries, such as Germany, believe this is gibberish. Thus, for the first time during the Brexit negotiations, British fisheries demands have managed to divide the EU.
A little bright spot
In the already deep crisis that has emerged between the UK and the EU, many feared that the final nail in the coffin could have been driven in if the UK once again chose to bring two controversial bills to the negotiating table. Something that they have been threatening all along.
The two bills the internal market bill Y the finance bill It created a deep crisis of confidence between the UK and the EU when it was brought to the table earlier this fall.
- The EU believes the proposal is in violation of the Brexit deal and violates Britain’s obligations under international law, and has therefore taken legal action against London.
- The British government itself believes that the proposal includes a safety net that prevents Northern Ireland from having a different customs system than the rest of the UK if talks on a new trade deal with the EU break down, but has also admitted that some parties violate international law.
But Monday night, Downing Street confirmed that the disputed parts of the bill could be eliminated or “deactivated” if the parties reached an agreement.
There may be a proposal that can resolve the stalled negotiations.
They are still arguing about this
On Friday, negotiations were suspended after the EU reportedly reported new demands on Thursday night. It ended in a nightly fight between the two negotiating teams. “This sets the negotiations back several months,” the British enraged.
The next day, EU negotiator Michel Barnier boarded a train back to Brussels after a week-long round of negotiations in London.
Both negotiators admitted that they had reached the limit of their terms. The negotiations had to be raised at the political level.
On Saturday, Johnson and von der Leyen met. Still to no avail.
This is what they are still discussing. See the fact chart below:
What happens now?
The deal has been finalized. It consists of around 600 pages, as well as 1200 pages of attachments. Legal is in the box. Now it’s about politics. But time is extremely short.
– Negotiating beyond Wednesday will not be possible if we want to reach the finish line before the New Year, said Michel Barnier. Again.
On Thursday and Friday, the EU Heads of State and Government will meet physically in Brussels. It has long been considered the last “decisive” moment.
Since the Covid-19 crisis, all meetings in the EU have been held digitally. But on Thursday and Friday, the EU heads of state and government will meet again physically in Brussels. Photo: Francisco Seco, AP / NTB
- It will take about three weeks from when an agreement is formalized until a ratification process can begin.
- If the agreement is within what is called “EU competence”, the agreement will only be ratified by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, that is, the heads of state and government of the countries.
- Then it will be about whether an agreement is adopted at the EU summit next Thursday and Friday 10-11. December.
- The European Parliament has its last session before Christmas this week, starting on December 14.
- The really big problems arise if the agreement stays within what is called “Mixed competition”. Then the 27 member states must also ratify the agreement.
- Then it can take months and years for the agreement to be ratified.
But no one will be surprised if the negotiations continue until New Year’s Eve. On Monday evening, Dutch Foreign Minister Rem Korteweg tweeted: “We must not rush to compromise. We prefer to use the time until 31 December.”
So here we go!
