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Michel Barnier has retracted his threat to withdraw from planned Brexit negotiations in London, telling EU ambassadors that he would persist despite a lack of progress over the past week.
The bloc’s chief negotiator told representatives of member states that he would travel on Friday night to try to break the deadlock in the most contentious areas.
He echoed the warning made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in the week, saying she couldn’t be sure Downing Street would commit enough to make a deal possible. “It was quite depressing,” said a diplomat of the private briefing.
Barnier had told his British counterpart David Frost on Tuesday via video conference that he saw no point in coming to London unless the UK moved towards the EU positions.
Despite the lack of substantive moves by Frost in the last 48 hours, the EU negotiator chose to avoid a major crisis in the negotiations.
John Redwood was among a group of Brexiter MPs on the Conservative back benches who had celebrated the threat as a sign that the talks could collapse.
Barnier has been in quarantine since last Thursday after one of his team tested positive for coronavirus.
The negotiation remains stagnant on the level of access to be granted to European fishing fleets in UK waters and the means by which either party can counter if the other seeks to gain a competitive advantage by diverging on environmental, labor and social issues . Rules.
After his briefing to the ambassadors in Brussels, Barnier tweeted: “According to Belgian rules, my team and I are no longer in quarantine. Physical negotiations can continue. Today I am reporting to the Member States and the European Parliament. The same significant divergences persist. I will travel to London tonight to continue discussions with David Frost and his team. “
The transition period, during which the UK has remained in the single market and customs union, will end in just 35 days.
It is understood that during a meeting of MEPs on Thursday, it was agreed that it would be very difficult for the European Parliament to examine and consent to a deal unless it is achieved next Wednesday.
An extraordinary session of parliament has been scheduled for December 28. Officials have warned member states that time constraints are such that the 600-page treaty is unlikely to be translated into the 24 official EU languages before ratification.
