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European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc is now in the “final push” to secure a trade and security deal with Britain. He declined to comment on the pending deadlines, insisting that the only remaining cutoff point is the end of the transition period on December 31. Dombrovskis said: “Michel Barnier updated us on the status of the Brexit negotiations.
“The negotiations are currently underway with great intensity because now we are in the last push to reach an agreement and from the Commission we continue working with this objective to reach an agreement although there are still important elements to be resolved.
“There is still a lot of work to do. I will not start setting specific deadlines this week next week.
“We have seen many deadlines come and go, but there is a deadline that we cannot move to January 1.
“It can be said in fact that we are now in the last moments to reach this agreement.”
His intervention came after plans emerged for EU leaders to issue a no-deal Brexit challenge to Boris Johnson.
They will utter ‘strong words’ that they are ‘within days’ of the dispute over the failure of the future relationship.
After their crisp videoconference on Thursday, they will point out that the time has come for the bloc to “operate in a no-deal scenario.”
A diplomatic source told Express.co.uk: “You can expect some strong words from leaders that the EU will be within days of operating in a no-deal scenario and that the Commission is tasked with activating contingency planning.” .
Barnier and Lord Frost, the prime minister’s chief negotiator, are currently in talks about the future relationship pact.
Progress has been hampered by disagreements over post-Brexit fishing rights and common rules, including state aid rules.
An EU official described the intense talks in recent months as “Groundhog Day” for the bloc.
While progress has been made in drafting a joint legal text in areas where both parties agree, they have not been able to find solutions to the most controversial issues.
Johnson warned Cabinet that it is “not safe” that a Brexit trade deal will be reached.
The prime minister said the UK is working hard to reach a deal, but will not give in to Brussels’ demands to give up huge access to fishing waters.
He argued to high-level ministers that Britain “will prosper” even if the talks collapse.
Johnson’s spokesman said: “The Prime Minister said his position has not changed. The UK is eager to reach an agreement with the EU, but not at the cost of our fundamental principles on sovereignty and control over our laws, borders, money and our fish.
“We are working hard to find solutions that fully respect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but it is not certain that an agreement is possible and the time is now very short.”
“The prime minister said that if we cannot find adequate compromises with our European friends, we will leave the transition period in Australian-style terms on January 1.”
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