The British Prime Minister continues to reject EU demands for fair competition.
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(Photo: REUTERS)
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The Brexit negotiations are increasingly becoming a farce. On Friday evening, chief negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost announced a break in free trade talks because they were stuck.
Once again, their bosses, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, had to pick up the phone to give a new impulse. The duo found that they were still at odds on the key issues – and that negotiations should continue.
Stop-and-go, the pattern is now repeated for the umpteenth time. There is no longer any sense in the routine. For a long time it could be explained as part of the choreography: A bit of drama is needed to prove to the voters on both sides that the negotiations were tough.
However, 26 days before the historic break between the neighbors, the Brexit poker is only negligent. Companies don’t know what to expect. The programmers of the IT systems for border clearance are in despair. MEPs in the European Parliament have to forego a thorough examination of the treaty. And what for?
What should the negotiators do in the coming days that they haven’t tried long ago? The positions of both sides are well known. A political decision has to be made to achieve a breakthrough. Johnson and von der Leyen want to call again on Monday evening, but this decision will not be made there either.
Trade agreements require a waiver of sovereignty
Everyone blames the other for the deadlock, but the main culprit is undoubtedly Boris Johnson. Despite the pandemic, he has ruled out extending the transition period. Above all, he set the goal of British sovereignty absolutely – against the interests of British business.
This position is untenable. Every trade agreement presupposes a certain waiver of sovereignty. Great Britain is an island only geographically, but not economically. If the country really wants to be “Global Britain” in the future, it will have to make a lot of compromises.
Every additional day that Johnson insists on indivisible sovereignty makes it more difficult to give in. This week, the controversial internal market law returns to the House of Commons. The reminder that the prime minister is ready to break the EU exit treaty will not improve the mood in the free trade talks.
The only hope remains that Johnson cannot be interested in a no-deal. Because, according to the government forecast, this would permanently depress British growth by two additional percentage points.
More: UK and EU continue free trade talks.
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