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There is now a “very narrow path” towards a Brexit deal and the next few days will be “decisive”, an EU chief announced.
Ursula von der Leyen told MEPs that the negotiations were “so close and yet so far” from being completed on the two outstanding issues: a level playing field on the extent to which Britain follows EU rules and fishing. .
But he said a trade deal between the UK and the EU was “the unfinished business of this year” and negotiators are “working around the clock, sometimes against all odds.”
He said that while discussions on fisheries remain “very difficult” and he feels they will not be resolved at times, problems related to governance, which was a third sticking point, “have now been largely resolved.”
The President of the European Commission told the European Parliament in Brussels: “As things stand, I cannot tell you whether there will be an agreement or not.
“But I can tell you that there is a way to an agreement now. The path may be very narrow but it is there. And that’s why it’s our responsibility to keep trying.
“The good news is that we have found a way forward on most issues. But now we are so close and yet we are so far from each other.
“Because there are still two issues pending: equal conditions and fishing.”
(Image: POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “The next few days are going to be decisive. And I know I have said this before and I know that deadlines have been missed time and time again.”
“The clock puts us all in a very difficult situation, especially this Parliament and its right to exercise democratic scrutiny and ratification.”
Talks on the Brexit trade deal have been delayed for three reasons.
Fishing: The two parts are divided into two issues: quotas and access. In 2012-16, 56% of the fish in UK waters was caught by EU vessels and 44% by UK vessels. Britain wants more quotas to catch its own fish, and final control over who accesses the waters. Reports suggested that the EU was willing to return 18% of its current quotas to UK fishermen, but Britain demanded 80%. And the UK offered a three-year transition to take control, but the EU reportedly wanted 10 years.
Level playing field: This means how closely we will follow EU rules in the future, to prevent us from undermining businesses on the continent. The UK wants the freedom to make its own laws in areas such as labor, the environment, the climate and subsidies for businesses (‘state aid’). But the EU demanded “equivalence”, and the UK “mirrored” EU rules in the future. The EU later dropped this demand and said Britain could deviate from EU rules, that it would only face tariffs if it does so. There are still fears that this could lead to “lightning tariffs” when the EU passes a new law on, for example, the environment and Britain decides not to copy it.
Governance: The last key dispute is over how future disagreements between the UK and the EU on trade are resolved. The UK is confident that the European Court of Justice will have no role, but exact provisions are still being worked out. For further information please click here.
It comes after talks extended past the Sunday night deadline in a final attempt to reach a trade deal before the end of EU rules in the UK in December.
MPs are prepared to sit in Parliament until Christmas Eve or even the week before Christmas and New Years to ratify a deal in the UK.
And the European Parliament has targeted a possible session a few days before the December 31 deadline.
If no deal is reached, it will impose tariffs on much of the UK’s £ 660bn a year trade with the EU on 1 January, driving up food and clothing prices and worsening the chaos. in ports.
(Image: Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street)
On the issue of a level playing field, Ms Von der Leyen said: “Our aim is simply to ensure fair competition in our own market.”
She said the UK and the EU had agreed to “a strong non-regression mechanism” on standards to ensure that UK rules do not undermine the EU in the future, which is a “big step forward”.
On fisheries, he said: “We do not question the sovereignty of the UK over its own waters, but we ask for predictability and stability for our fishermen and women.
“And in all honesty, it sometimes feels like we won’t be able to resolve this issue.
“But we must continue to try to find a solution and it is the only responsible and correct course of action.”
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