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The EU’s top Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said he is “concerned and disappointed” by the UK’s approach to the talks, fueling fears that the UK will leave the bloc in January without a deal.
He said there was no progress in a meeting Tuesday with UK negotiator David Frost. “We didn’t see any change in the UK’s position, which is why I publicly expressed what I say, that I am concerned and disappointed that, frankly speaking, we have moved, [and] On many issues a real openness has been demonstrated in recent months, ”Barnier told the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
He said the EU had recognized the UK’s red lines on fair competition, fisheries and governance, including the European court of law, and was willing to compromise, but the UK is refusing to put any proposals on the table on state aid. or fishing. “On all these issues, parts of the UK continue to disappoint,” he said.
Talks on 11 thematic areas that will determine post-Brexit trade and the UK’s future relationship with the EU have been going on since March. Last week, insiders in the EU described the talks as a “completely lost summer”.
Barnier said he was more realistic than optimistic and was convinced that Boris Johnson would not allow the UK to collapse. “I still think, despite the current difficulties, that Boris Johnson wants an agreement with the EU,” he said.
But he added more than once that this would not be at any cost. “The EU will not sacrifice its principles for the sole benefit of the UK.”
He said the UK wanted a trade deal with zero tariffs and zero quotas, but “they will have to move” to achieve it, as the EU would not reach an agreement that was “to the detriment of the EU and the single market.”
Barnier said he sometimes heard people in the UK talk about disagreeing and thought: good luck. “There will be a big difference between an agreement and a no agreement. I still think, even if it’s very difficult, that a deal is possible. “
He said the UK’s insistence that it simply wanted a deal like Canada or Japan was not based on reality. The UK’s proximity made it different from other trading partners as it automatically brought in higher volumes and breadth of trade.
“This clearly shows why we need this economic and commercial fair play and critical mechanisms to avoid trade distortions and unfair competitive advantages,” he said. “This is particularly important in state aid, where the potential to distort competition through subsidies is clearly significant.”
Barnier warned that the UK and the EU faced serious consequences from Brexit on January 1, the end of the transition period, deal or not, with customs declarations, health checks and friction for banks and carmakers.
Johnson’s spokesman said Frost and Barnier had a “useful review” of the agenda for next week, but “great difficulties remain.”
He said that “the EU’s insistence on progress on state aid and fisheries is an obstacle to progress in general.”
