Negotiations on a trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union will resume on Thursday. British chief negotiator David Frost announced this on Wednesday. Less than a week ago, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to leave the negotiating table.
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“We are ready to welcome the European team in London for the resumption of negotiations,” a Downing Street spokesman confirmed Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day, a telephone conversation took place between the European and British negotiators. “We have agreed that there is a basis for negotiations with the EU and with Michel Barnier (the European chief negotiator, ed.). There will be intensive talks every day, starting from Thursday afternoon ”, Frost confirmed on Twitter afterwards.
Talks about future relations between the EU and the UK have been particularly difficult for months, but have threatened to stall completely in recent days. Last week, at their summit in Brussels, European government leaders demanded that the British government make concessions to make progress. Johnson then stated that the UK should prepare for a “no deal” scenario. However, neither side formally closed the door to further talks.
They are coming now, although a UK government spokesman confirmed that “there is still a big gap between our positions in the most difficult areas (…) But we are ready, together with the EU, to see if it is possible is to bridge that gap ”. The talks could last several weeks, according to insiders.
In the meantime, time is ticking on. The EU and the UK have until the end of October, early November, to close a deal that can take effect by January. After all, then the British will leave the European customs union and single market. Without a trade agreement, a so-called hard Brexit with customs tariffs and other additional trade barriers still threatens. Agreements on the conditions of competition, the fishing industry and an arbitration mechanism are the main obstacles to an agreement.
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