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BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was disappointed in the progress of post-Brexit trade talks on Wednesday (October 14), but will wait for news of an EU summit before deciding whether to disconnect.
During a call across the Channel on the eve of the crisp talks, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned that “there was still a lot of work ahead” and that Brussels wanted a deal, simply “not at any price.”
A Downing Street spokesman said that Johnson, speaking with von der Leyen and EU summit host Charles Michel, had “expressed disappointment that no further progress had been made in the past two weeks.”
The British leader had warned last month that he would withdraw from the table if there was no deal in sight by October 15, but his spokesman said he would now wait for all 27 EU leaders to meet on Thursday and Friday.
“The prime minister said he looked forward to hearing the outcome of the European Council and would reflect before setting the UK’s next steps,” the spokesman said.
The British side has accused Brussels of trying to force concessions by running against the clock, and the window is narrowing on the chances of reaching a deal and ratifying a deal before the UK leaves the EU single market on 31st. December.
But von der Leyen stressed that the two sides were still widely separated on the three priorities of the EU member states in the talks. “The conditions must be right in terms of fishing, level playing field and governance,” he said.
READ: EU pushes UK to give in at ‘critical stage’ of Brexit negotiations
European diplomats say Brussels is still waiting for a deal, but they are looking for a sign from Johnson that the compromise is being taken seriously.
“We need to lower the landing gear. We are approaching the runway. Are you planning to land or are you still 10,000 meters away?” asked one.
According to the draft conclusions of the summit seen by the AFP, but likely to evolve before the summit, the EU will express its concern “that progress on key issues of interest to the Union is not yet sufficient to reach an agreement”.
They will invite the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, to “intensify negotiations” to achieve and implement a trade agreement before January 1.
Key events in the Brexit process. AFP
Diplomats said there had been some movement from Britain on fair trade rules in recent days, but not enough to justify locking negotiators in a so-called “diplomatic tunnel” to force the talks to the goal.
Some member states are pushing for the parties to agree on a “toolbox” of retaliatory measures that Brussels could take if it feels Britain has broken its word to maintain a level playing field in cross-channel business.
Britain left the European Union on January 31, but Barnier and British negotiator David Frost have been locked in inconclusive talks about a follow-up deal for business through the channel.
If no agreement is reached, the trade rules will revert to the ground rules of the World Trade Organization.
FAIR COMPETITION
Both sides insist they are ready for this, and would rather have to accept a deal that crosses their red lines, but experts predict a serious economic disruption.
Europe’s top three concerns are agreeing on fair competition rules, agreeing on how these rules will be controlled, and ensuring access to UK waters for EU fishing fleets.
Britain wants to reassert sovereignty over its waters and reject EU legal oversight over the deal, insisting it wants a simple trade deal of the kind the EU signed with Canada.
Brussels, in turn, stresses that the British economy is much more integrated and closer to that of the EU than Canada, and that its single market must be protected from British recidivism.
Northern fishing nations, particularly France, are keeping a firm line on fishing, insisting that their boats operated in UK waters for centuries before the EU was formed.
