BERLIN (Dow Jones) – The Irish government sees little room for maneuver shortly before the deadline for negotiations between London and Brussels on a trade agreement. “I still believe in a deal, even if I am only a minority,” said Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney to DIE WELT.
Both sides are still far from each other. “For us, the main thing is to avoid future changes to EU rules becoming a competitive advantage for the UK economy if there are no similar changes. And how violations of the agreements will be punished,” said Coveney. The EU side should now speak less of sanctions than of solutions.
Ireland’s foreign minister rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s allegation that the European Union would not accept the independence of the United Kingdom. “We all recognize the UK as a sovereign country. But partnership requires compromise. Which does not undermine sovereignty, but rather means sovereign agreements between two parties.”
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 12, 2020 04:56 ET (09:56 GMT)
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