The United Kingdom, which left the EU on January 31, continues to apply European rules until December 31. Ph: AFP
The British and Europeans are cautiously optimistic when they begin five weeks of intense negotiations on Monday, aimed at finally making progress on the post-Brexit relationship and avoiding a catastrophic “no deal” at the end of the year.
Their talks begin with a five-day physical meeting in Brussels, the first since March. They will continue every week, alternately in London and in the Belgian capital, until the end of July.
The intensification of the discussions, by mutual agreement between London and Brussels, should make it possible to give them “a new impetus”, after four rounds of negotiations troubled by the coronavirus and without major advances.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to be fixed in July on the possibility of a compromise. “The sooner we reach an agreement, the better. There is no reason why the outline of a political agreement cannot be defined over the summer, “insisted a British official. This ambitious prospect has, however, been politely rejected by the Europeans, who are currently focused on their post-coronavirus recovery plan, and who consider October to be the real “moment of truth” in Brexit.
“This is when we will have to be ready to present a draft agreement (…) if we want it to be ratified before the end of the year,” said European negotiator Michel Barnier, during an intervention last week in front of the European Policy Center (EPC).
As a reminder, the United Kingdom, which left the EU on January 31, continues to apply European rules until December 31. If no agreement is negotiated by then, the only rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with their high tariffs and extensive customs controls, would apply to trade relations between these partners. What weaken economies already hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
– .
