Home » World » Barnier: “Brexit” agreement at this stage seems unlikely – Abroad – News

Barnier: “Brexit” agreement at this stage seems unlikely – Abroad – News

The warning was issued by Barnier following the seventh round of trade negotiations, which again failed to make any progress on key issues, including fisheries law and competition rules.

“Those who hoped the talks would move forward this week are disappointed,” Barnier said at the end of the round in Brussels.

“And unfortunately I’m also openly disappointed and worried and surprised,” he added.

“Too often this week, there has been a feeling that we are moving backwards rather than forward. At this stage, the agreement between the UK and the EU seems unlikely. I just don’t understand why we are wasting our precious time,” the EU negotiator said.

The next round of talks will take place in London on 7 September.

Britain, meanwhile, blames the EU for delaying progress on Friday.

Pushing Brussels for London to accept the EU’s state aid and fisheries policies before working on other issues “makes progress unnecessarily difficult,” said David Frost, Britain’s senior negotiator.

An agreement is still possible, and that is Britain’s goal, Frost said, while warning: “It’s clear it won’t be easy.”

The latest talks have been useful, but little progress has been made, “he added, noting that the main points of contention remained competition rules and fishing rights.

“The EU continues to insist not only that we accept the continuity of EU state aid and fisheries policy, but that it must be agreed before any substantive work can be done in any other area of ​​the negotiations, including legal texts,” Frost said.

“It makes progress unnecessarily difficult.”

Although Britain left the EU on 31 January, there is a transition period until the end of the year, during which, among other things, an agreement on a new reciprocal trade agreement must be reached.

If no agreement is reached, trade relations between the two parties will henceforth be governed by the rules of the International Trade Organization (WTO).

According to the media, British officials consider October 15 and 16, when the next EU summit is scheduled, to be the deadline for reaching an agreement.

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