Talks on EU-UK relations after Brexit could be concluded in the coming days / Article / LSM.lv

Brexit talks to the finish lineUģis Lībietis00:00 / 03:17

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Following the arrival of Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, in the British capital, London, last weekend, there was once again a glimmer of hope that the EU and Britain would still be able to agree on a future relationship in the month before the full secession of the 27-nation bloc.

This would bring clarity to businesses, citizens and, in all likelihood, reduce huge chaos.

As EU diplomats have told AFP, Barnier is currently only a millimeter away from the red lines drawn for him by the member states of the union. Namely, further concessions to him are actually nowhere to be found.

It became known on Thursday that the EU is demanding the right of its fishermen to access British territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles from the coast. The British want to control all 12 miles of their coastal waters. Although fishing makes a relatively small contribution to the national budget, it is precisely this area that is considered one of the British symbols of the restoration of sovereignty.

Simon Covenant, the Foreign Secretary of Ireland, a neighbor of the United Kingdom, whose country is likely to be most directly and painfully affected by the Brexite, has stated that

there is a very good chance, however, of reaching an agreement in the next few days.

Covenny emphasized that Britain has always wanted an agreement on future relations, but does not always do so. That is why great tensions can be expected in the negotiations between the parties in the coming days.

“There are rumors in London at the moment that a new bill could be presented next week that could help reach an agreement, but at the same time there are two laws that hinder it.

This does not benefit a government that wants to establish a positive partnership and future relations with its closest neighbor, the European Union.

It is understandable that concluding such negotiations is extremely difficult. There will always be tensions and deadlocks, as both sides want a mutually acceptable agreement. It is in this phase that we are now. We need patience, we need to trust Michel Barnier, who has done a phenomenal job. I think if we do that, there is a great chance of reaching that agreement in the next few days, ”said Covenny.

However, the United Kingdom was less optimistic and pointed out that there was still enough to bridge.

As Gavin Williamson, a spokesman for the British government, has pointed out, progress has indeed been made, but Britain is still not ready to sign an agreement that will not be in its national interests.

By the way, Williamson has earned a lot of criticism on another issue these days. Commenting on the decision to allow the use of Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in the UK, Williamson said that this is because Britain is simply a much better country than any other country in the European Union.

The leading US immunologist, Anthony Fauch, has spoken out sharply about the British action, stating that the tests performed before the vaccine was approved were still insufficient. Both the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have called on the British to share their findings.

CONTEXT:

United Kingdom on 31 January 2020 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.

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