EU and UK launch intensive Brexit talks in five weeks / Article / LSM.lv

EU and UK resume Brexit talksRihards Plūme00:00 / 00:00

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The new round of talks, which will begin in Brussels on Monday, will be the first to take place in person since the coronavirus pandemic. The talks are scheduled to last weekly, throughout July. Then, after a short break, the round will end at the end of August. It is hoped that face-to-face talks will work.

The videoconference talks ended with unresolved disagreements on many issues, including rules on business and fishing rights.

As Michel Barnier, the bloc’s negotiator, acknowledged shortly before the fifth round of talks, the reason for the slow talks is not the way they take place. He sees problems at the heart of the British argument.

“I still believe that an agreement is possible. I welcome the fact that Britain has agreed to speed up negotiations during the summer. But, as I said before, the problem is not about time or methods, it is about substance. More specifically, Britain is deviating from its promises in the political declaration. We need a clear signal that Britain is ready to work for an agreement that respects this document. If we receive this signal next week and make concrete progress in July, very well. But it will require progress in all areas. Whether or not that happens, the ball is on the British side of the field, “said Barnier.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government will soon take over the EU presidency, has become stronger in her position, questioning whether London really wants an agreement. She is convinced that it would be in the interests of Britain and all EU Member States to get an orderly withdrawal. But both sides want it.

The British have indicated that it is not in their interests to postpone and continue the talks in the autumn. At the same time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted on Saturday that Britain would accept the consequences of the agreement if the parties could not find a common position. It became known over the weekend that Cabinet Secretary, British Civil Service Chief and National Security Adviser Mark Sedville would resign in September. David Frost, the British Brexit negotiator, will take over the duties of National Security Adviser. Consequently, some policy commentators expressed concern that this could divert British attention from the talks. However, according to a British official, the new responsibilities will not distract Frosta from negotiations with the EU. Frost will continue to hold the position of negotiator until an agreement is reached, and that will be his first priority, the official said.

Today, Britain is still part of the EU’s internal market and customs union, forced to abide by the bloc’s rules and make contributions to its budget. However, if no agreement is reached within a transitional period by the end of the year, trade between the two parties will henceforth be governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization, which provide for various customs barriers.

CONTEXT:

Great Britain on 31 January formally left EU, but there is a transitional period until the end of the year, during which the British will continue to be subject to all EU rules.

An EU-UK trade agreement should be concluded by the end of 2020. If this fails, both sides will start trading under the rules of the World Trade Organization, which provide for significant customs duties on many goods and other barriers to trade.

New ones in the spring of 2020 difficulties in the negotiations were brought about by the Covid-19 crisisaffecting the whole of Europe.

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