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Boris Johnson’s negotiator has accused the EU of taking an “unusual approach” to trade talks after the bloc’s leaders called on the UK to “take the necessary steps” for a post-Brexit deal.
Lord Frost, the prime minister’s EU adviser, responded to the stance taken by EU national leaders at a Brussels summit on Thursday.
In a series of tweets, Lord Frost said he was “disappointed” by the conclusions of the summit and “surprised” that the bloc “is no longer committed to working ‘hard’ to reach a future partnership.”
This came after EU leaders removed from the draft summit conclusions a call for the EU’s top negotiator to “step up” talks with the UK and replaced it with “continue”.
Lord Frost added: “Also surprised by the suggestion that in order to reach an agreement all future movements must come from the UK.
“It is an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation.”
Lord Frost revealed that Johnson will express his own reaction to the conclusions of the EU summit on Friday.
The prime minister has previously raised the possibility of walking away from negotiations by setting this week’s meeting in Brussels as the deadline for reaching an agreement.
At their summit in the Belgian capital, EU leaders called on the UK “to take the necessary steps to make an agreement possible.”
They also noted their “concern” that progress in the ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU “is not yet sufficient to reach an agreement.”
The leaders agreed that the 27 member states and EU institutions should “intensify their preparation and preparation work at all levels and for all outcomes”, before the possibility of the Brexi transition period ending December 31 without an agreement on a future relationship.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was forced to leave the summit
The leaders called on the European Commission to “timely consider unilateral and time-limited contingency measures that are of interest to the EU” due to the prospect of a no-deal outcome.
European Council President Charles Michel, speaking at a press conference after leaders’ discussions on Brexit, said the bloc was “100% united.”
“We are united and determined to reach an agreement but not at any cost,” he added.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, echoed that position, saying at the press conference that differences between the two sides still persist on so-called level playing field commitments, governance issues and fisheries.
He added that the EU is ready to continue negotiations “until the last possible day.”
“We want to give these discussions every chance of success to secure an agreement,” he said.
Barnier also offered the possibility of a two-week extension to Johnson’s October 15 deadline, adding that his team would travel to London for talks next week and set up negotiations in Brussels the following week.
He also insisted that his officials are “prepared to speed up the negotiations”, in contrast to Lord Frost’s tweets.
The meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday was interrupted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had to withdraw from the summit after a member of her staff tested positive for coronavirus.
She posted on Twitter: “I was just informed that a member of my main office has tested positive for Covid-19 this morning.
“I myself have tested negative. However, as a precaution, I immediately leave the European Council to go into self-isolation.”
On the eve of the EU summit on Thursday, Johnson had a phone call with Ms. Von der Leyen and Mr. Michel.
During the call, the prime minister “noted the desirability of a deal” but “expressed disappointment that no further progress had been made in the past two weeks,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
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On Thursday, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he believed “a deal could be reached” but admitted that the UK and the EU were “miles apart” on the fisheries issue.
“There is a lot of hard work to do and I think it will take weeks rather than days to finish this,” he told a meeting of the Irish parliamentary committee.
“I hope that at the beginning of November we are in the space of an agreement in sight.”
On Brexit, the message from the European Union is a bit mixed: it talks about negotiations, but it also says that the commitment has to come from the United Kingdom.
Analysis: Is a deal true? Definitely not!
By Adam Parsons, Europe Correspondent
Wanting more talks, but avoiding the word “step up.” Talk of progress followed by statements of stagnation.
The only thing that unified them was the expression “we want a deal but not at any price.”
Variations on that change of expression came from officials and leaders, including chief negotiator Michel Barnier, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
And yet perhaps the most symbolic moment of this day was not about what Von der Leyen said, but about what he did: rush out of the meeting to isolate himself in his flat at the top of the Berlaymont building.
The truth is that, as important as Brexit may seem to us, most Europeans now consider it trivial together with the damage that the coronavirus is causing.
The mood among many sources is that they want a deal not just for the financial benefits, but to finish and finish it.
The great exception is French President Emmanuel Macron, who today reiterated that he would not “sacrifice” his nation’s fishermen if he thought their rights were being restricted.
So is a deal possible? Yes. It is probable? Perhaps. But it’s sure? Definitely not. The European Council today warned its members to “step up” preparations for a no-deal Brexit.
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