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- In the most recent Brexit negotiations, according to the EU and
Britain did not reach an agreement. But the negotiations should continue. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to travel to Brussels in the next few days to clarify the toughest issues with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. This was announced by the EU Commission.
- This means that the drama over the deal is spreading again. It should be ratified and effective on January 1.
“The conditions for an agreement are not yet met due to differences in key points,” said a joint statement. “We ask our chief negotiators to prepare a summary of the remaining differences so that they can be discussed personally in the coming days.” A spokesman for the EU Commission confirmed that Johnson is expected to be in Brussels in the next few days.
Just under four weeks
In the morning, EU negotiator Michel Barnier had made clear during internal briefings that there had been little progress on key points in the most recent round of negotiations, which began on Sunday.
The three most important points are: EU fishermen’s access to UK waters, a level playing field and the rules for sanctioning violations of the agreement.
The time pressure is enormous four weeks before the end of the transition phase of Brexit. At the turn of the year, Britain leaves the single market and the customs union after leaving the EU. Without a trade agreement, there are tariffs and other trade barriers.
Three major sticking points
The EU has offered the UK free trade in goods without tariffs or quantity restrictions. In return, however, it demands the same environmental or social standards and subsidy rules. This hides behind the point “fair competitive conditions” – in the bargaining jargon “level playing field”. Britain would like to have as few EU guidelines as possible.
The second controversial issue, “Fisheries,” is particularly important to coastal states, especially France. Negotiators are haggling over the amounts that EU fishermen can catch in UK waters.
The third point, “Enforce the Treaty”, is also important for the EU because of a move by the Johnson government that sparked outrage in Brussels: a planned violation of the EU exit agreement already in force. Johnson wants to use the British Single Market Act to undermine parts of the EU withdrawal agreement that is already in place.
Decide in the next few days
Here, however, the British government indicated that it is willing to give in on Monday. It is willing to remove or deactivate the controversial clauses of the bill.
The prerequisite is an agreement in the joint committee that is responsible for the implementation of the Northern Ireland provisions of the Withdrawal Treaty. “The talks are ongoing and final decisions are expected in the next few days,” the British government’s announcement said.
