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EU diplomats pressured President Emmanuel Macron’s envoy in Brussels to drop his “unrealistic” call for the UK to remain bound to the bloc’s Common Fisheries Policy beyond the end of the post-Brexit transition period. This comes as Michel Barnier raised hopes of a Brexit pact when the EU negotiator declared there was a new “uproar” in the trade talks, according to sources in Brussels. The top European Union negotiator praised the “improved atmosphere” in the dispute over a post-Brexit trade deal in a private meeting with MEPs.
Earlier this week, in a private meeting in Brussels, top European diplomats decided the bloc was being “too strict” with its demands to maintain the status quo of access to Britain’s coastal waters after the end of the year.
In a clear split, landlocked member states urged their neighbors to soften their hard-line approach or risk thwarting trade talks.
A diplomat close to the talks said: “We are too strict, the EU must be realistic.”
A second source added: “The EU will have to soften its position. We should not limit ourselves to the interests of a few states. “
European capitals decided the bloc could soften the blow for its fishermen by using a special Brexit reserve of £ 4.5bn to rescue them.
This has given Mr Barnier a renewed sense of optimism: a breakthrough can be made during this week’s decisive round of trade negotiations between the UK and the EU.
According to an EU source, the Brussels diplomat told MEPs that both sides had been able to participate more closely in the contentious issues of fishing opportunities and state aid.
The source told Express.co.uk: “There seems to be more engagement from the UK and a bit more buzz surrounding the talks.
Barnier, however, admitted that the stalemate had not yet been broken and that it would require more time to overcome.
The Brussels informant added: “There has still been no movement on the substance.”
The two sides opened talks today as part of the ninth formal round of disputes over a post-Brexit trade deal.
British negotiators submitted five new draft trade proposals to unlock the process, including fishing and fair competition.
Eurocrats are also said to be undecided on whether to take legal action against Boris Johnson for alleged breaches of last year’s Brexit divorce deal.
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Brussels remains locked in line with Downing Street over its controversial plans to rewrite sections of the Withdrawal Agreement related to Northern Ireland after Michael Gove refused to abandon the legislation.
But the European Commission has issued an ultimatum to abandon the talks unless No. 10 removes or amends the internal market bill before midnight tonight.
EU Vice President Maros Sefcovic was said to be “hesitant” when asked whether the EU would commit to bringing the prime minister before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The top Eurocrat said the bloc could launch a legal challenge before the government’s Brexit bill is adopted, but would first have to seek permission from the head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
EU sources insist that the Eurocrats will not make any decisions this week to prevent the current round of trade talks from turning into a sour exchange.
Sefcovic emphasized to MEPs that the EU would not rush out of talks on the dispute.
But some countries, including France, are pushing for Brussels to immediately trigger legal action against the government unless the legislation is withdrawn.
In the hope of negotiators to step up their efforts, MEPs urged Barnier not to get carried away into secret talks, known as the tunnel.
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The Frenchman believes that discussions without public scrutiny would help better facilitate an agreement.
But EU capitals worry that Downing Street could use the secret trade talks to win concessions or later in an attempt to blame Brussels for no deal.
A European source said: “The British are trying to bounce the EU into a tunnel without light.”
The bloc wants more assurances from Lord Frost, the prime minister’s Brexit envoy, that he is willing to compromise to reach a deal.
Ms Von der Leyen admitted today that the bloc needed a trade deal with Great Britain to help its economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “We want an agreement. I appeal to responsibility because our economies, on both sides of the Canal, are seriously affected by the pandemic and we must do everything possible to reach a reasonable agreement ”.
But in a move that could fuel tensions, Germany’s Michael Roth cited a wartime speech by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Berlin’s minister for Europe said: “Winston Churchill was right when he said: ‘You must look at the facts because they look at you.”
And the facts speak for themselves. Be it the coronavirus pandemic or the climate crisis: no country can tackle these global challenges alone. Especially at a time when we are in brutal competition with authoritarianism and the post-crown world will certainly become even more uncomfortable, we need each other as reliable partners now more than ever. “
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