The most important point of contention besides fishing is the issue of competitive conditions. Brussels takes the position that competition from Great Britain can only hope for duty-free trade if both sides of the English Channel have the same labor, social and environmental standards.
But that is a matter of principle for London. Again and again British officials stress that it is a question of the sovereignty of their country. With Brexit one wants to regain control over one’s own laws, borders, waters and one’s own money – and not adopt the EU standards, over which one no longer has any influence. For Johnson it is absurd that, according to his presentation, the EU demands that Great Britain should follow EU rule changes at every turn.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen countered on Friday in Brussels: The British are free to deviate from European rules in the future, for example with regard to environmental standards. But the conditions for the European internal market would then also have to be adjusted, in other words: tariffs introduced.
When it comes to fishing, the British want to decide for themselves who is allowed to catch how much in their waters. But the exclusive economic zone that the country now claims is not in line with the historically evolved division of fishing grounds, as defined in the framework of the European fisheries policy. Economically, the topic hardly plays a role, but symbolically it should hardly be underestimated for the former sea power Great Britain. Here, too, neither side wants to give in.
Commentators in the UK disagree on what’s behind the stalemate. Both sides could rely on the other to give in – and risk a serious miscalculation. Or maybe Johnson gives in at the last moment in exchange for symbolic concessions and everything is just a carefully planned choreography that is supposed to portray him as a fighter in the eyes of the Brexit hardliners? It would not be the first time. But nobody can be sure.
In the event that it goes wrong, more than a third of Britons (35 percent) would blame their own government for the failure of negotiations, according to a lightning poll by polling firm YouGov on Friday. A little more than a quarter (27 percent), however, see responsibility with the European Union. Another quarter would blame both sides equally.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201212-99-664015 / 3
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