EU-UK Brexit negotiators make last-ditch effort to reach trade deal
The chief negotiators of the European Union and the UK, Michel Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost made a last attempt on Sunday to resolve a stalemate in trade talks, in a bid to clinch a deal before the deadline for the transition period looms on December 31.
The two sides on Friday had agreed to pause their talks in order to brief their principals on the state of play of the negotiations, after concluding that the conditions for an agreement were not met, despite another week of intense negotiations in London.
Sunday’s move came after the Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Johnson held phone talks the next day, during which they urged their chief negotiators to reconvene in Brussels to assess whether they can bridge their differences.
“Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved,” von der Leyen and Johnson said in a joint statement on Saturday.
On Monday morning, Barnier attended a COREPER meeting to brief the bloc’s ambassadors at the European Council about the negotiations, while another phone call between the Commission chief and the British PM is scheduled for the same evening.
Citing EU sources, The Guardian reported earlier in the day that a major breakthrough has been made in Brexit talks on the rights of European fleets to fish in UK waters.
Should the two sides not manage to reach a deal before the end of the transition period, the EU and the UK will need to trade on the terms foreseen by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
