Hello London?
It was supposed to be “the” final phone call to the negotiations on theeurs relations post-Brexit. But the suspense dragged on yesterday. At 6.30 p.m., after an hour and a half of talking, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen even took… a break.
In the afternoon, on the sly and without anything leaking, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and EU officials had seen each other by video conference. Proof that the tension is climbing, while time flies: the discussions will not go beyond Wednesday, warned the negotiator for the EU, Michel Barnier.
Not Johnson’s fault …
He has always claimed that “no deal is better than a bad deal”. But Boris Johnson does not want to take responsibility for a no deal which would weaken its economy, already boomed by the Covid. Yesterday, to prove his good will, he said he was ready to give up the controversial clauses of a bill that would have allowed him to violate the commitments made to Brussels a year ago. A fine effort, if we exclude the idea that this law could have been conceived just to… put pressure on the negotiations.
Why so much worry?
Failure would be bitter for everyone. Without an agreement, the United Kingdom will no longer benefit from its privileged access to the single market and will return to boring customs tariffs from 1is January. The Europeans, who exchange with him for 830 billion euros of goods per year, will also leave big feathers there.
What is blocking?
Three points. The same for months … Brussels wants a guarantee that London will not create unfair competition by spraying its businesses with aid. And wants to know who will arbitrate, in case of conflict. Especially not the Court of Justice of the EU, insists the United Kingdom, which dreams of regaining its sovereignty. Other dispute: the access of European trawlers to fish harvesters British waters. It is rumored that a transition of five to seven years could be accepted by all. Time to… negotiate.
How is this urgent?
If a deal is struck, it will be submitted to EU leaders on Thursday. Then in the British Parliament, which should not tick: the Conservative Prime Minister has a strong majority. More difficult: the text of around 700 pages, written in English, will be legally transcribed and then translated into the 23 other EU languages. It could take around 20 days, leaving little time for the European Parliament to validate it, before December 31.
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