Negotiations for Brexit will continue next week and, following diplomatic sources cited by the British newspaper The Guardian London and Brussels, which will have to submit written texts on the subject, agreed to “lower the temperature” and “reduce rhetoric” so that the positions do not again become extreme.
The Brexit talks in London next week were canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, but in a joint statement both parties said they were looking for alternative options, such as videoconferencing.
“Given the latest developments at Covid-19, UK and Union negotiators have jointly decided not to hold next week’s round of talks in London, as originally scheduled,” says a joint statement by the UK and the Union. ” Currently, both sides are exploring alternative ways to continue discussions, including, if possible, the use of videoconferencing ”.
Although the coronavirus outbreak has taken Brexit out of the headlines, negotiators are concerned that behind-the-scenes efforts will have to continue if they are to strike a deal before June.
Some areas, including fisheries, crime and justice, have already been identified as areas of deepest conflict – with little hope of progress in this second round of negotiations.
On Northern Ireland, another seemingly insanable conflict zone, the Union has made it clear that the UK’s responsibility is to propose a plan to implement the controversial ‘backstop’ agreements, which include an extravagant trade barrier in the Irish Sea. The UK is expected to arrive at the joint committee’s inaugural meeting on 30 March with the first concrete proposals.
Although there has been a marked reduction in the war of words, there is concern about the fundamentals of the two approaches to Brexit: the United Kingdom defines the issue as a battle for sovereignty and the Union prioritizes the economic argument.
With the United Kingdom promising not to extend the transition period beyond December 31, but negotiating experts – and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself – say that this is impossible, even in the remote hypothesis of no disagreement.
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