Photo: picture alliance / dpa / AP / Francisco Seco
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Four weeks before Great Britain finally leaves the EU, both sides are working hard to find a result in the ongoing Brexit talks. After the negotiators, the Frenchman Michel Barnier for the EU and David Frost for the British government, interrupted the process on Friday because of positions that could not be agreed, a so-called high-level meeting was called for Saturday. At the end of this, however, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also only stated “considerable differences” – and agreed to continue negotiations over the weekend. On Monday, von der Leyen and Johnson wanted to make another phone call to get problems out of the way.
If no agreement is reached between the EU and London by the end of the year, after the eleven-month transition period that will then come to an end – Great Britain officially left the EU on January 31, 2020 – the kingdom would withdraw from the 27 other states without any regulations, in particular for future trade relations separate. In such a no-deal scenario, tariffs would have to be introduced for the movement of goods; further trade barriers could be erected. Simply by resuming customs controls, for example, there could be kilometers of traffic jams in the hinterland of the Eurotunnel and the ferry terminals between the EU and Great Britain.
Customs duties and delayed clearance are not the only problems with a no deal. Above all, »Brussels« fears distortions of competition in future economic cooperation with Great Britain. The EU competition watchdogs probably not entirely wrongly suspect that London could create better market conditions with state aid, dumping and lowered social and environmental standards. The planned British Internal Market Act, with which the Johnson government wants to nullify customs regulations already in place for imports from the Irish island, continues to cause conflict.
Last but not least, there is a dispute over fishing rights for continental Europeans in British territorial waters. France in particular sees this as an important political prerequisite for a good relationship with Great Britain, according to EU circles. However, it is about much more than symbolism and national pride vis-à-vis the enemy from earlier centuries, namely the economic interests of the fishing and processing industry and, ultimately, of the maritime sector. And this would not only affect France but also Germany.
“You can’t just throw things that have grown historically overboard,” says Left MEP and trade expert Helmut Scholz. The chairman of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, has now also warned against abandoning the negotiations. However, Weber’s reminders went solely to London. At least the conservative emphasized to the Funke media group: “A solution is possible.”
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