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Critical Friday for post-Brexit talks: EU insists Johnson must make concessions
“If conditions aren't met, it's possible we won't have an agreement,” French President Emmanuel Macron said as he arrived at the summit in Brussels The negotiations between Britain and the European Union over their future relationship are lurching toward a crisis after European Union leaders told Boris Johnson he must make concessions only hours before the prime minister is due to decide whether to walk away.
David Frost, the UK's chief Brexit negotiator, said he was “surprised” and “disappointed” at the warning, which came during a summit of EU leaders on Thursday. He said that Johnson, who has threatened to quit the negotiations at the end of this week if a deal can't be struck, would respond on Friday.
The spat is a sign that the seven months of negotiations between the two sides over their future relationship are heading for what could be a key turning point.
Without an accord, millions of businesses and consumers will face additional costs and disruption when Britain leaves the single market on Dec 31.
“If conditions aren't met, it's possible we won't have an agreement,” French President Emmanuel Macron said as he arrived at the summit in Brussels. “We are ready for that.” But there is still time - just - for the two sides to clinch a deal.
The UK had been calling on the EU to agree to round-the-clock negotiations to push through an agreement within the next two weeks.
But for Johnson to be persuaded to stay at the table, negotiators had wanted to see positive signs from the bloc, including a signal it was willing to intensify negotiations - something they pointedly refused to do.
“Surprised EU is no longer committed to working ”intensively“ to reach a future partnership,” Frost said in a tweet.
“Also surprised by suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come from UK. It's an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation.”
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Read all commentsJohnson has said that the UK should get the same conditions as Canada. He forgot to tell where Canada and EU has a land border. That is the important difference.
Oct 16th, 2020 - 05:58 pm 0But a hard Brexit will be favorable for the UK, some say, as the UK will only lose a little more than 40 percent of its export, while the EU stand to lose a huge 4.2 percent of its export. As anybody knows 40 is better than 4.2 - or ...
Don Alberto
Oct 18th, 2020 - 05:45 pm 0I told you before “The UK are some 18% of the total EU exports to non EU countries, second only to the US.”
https://fullfact.org/europe/uk-eu-trade/
You don’t “lose” your exports, you have to contend with tariffs paperwork and sometimes quotas, as the EU will find out with their second largest export market.
Anyway following the EU summit and the statement that The UK must now make the necessary moves to get a deal, Boris has cancelled negotiations as there is now no basis for further negotiation.
They will not re-start unless the EU fundamentally changes its position.
So no deal it is then, squeaky bum time, we shall see who has the “courage of their convictions”.
Difficult in the short term no doubt, however we will be free of interference from Brussels, permanently.
A price worth paying.
“we will be free of interference from Brussels, permanently.”
Oct 18th, 2020 - 06:21 pm 0Surely you are joking, Pugol-H.
If the UK wants to export any goods to the EU it will be according to EU regulations. If the UK wants to business with the EU at all, it will almost always be according to EU regulations, while at the same time the UK will have no influence on the EU rules.
The UK used to vote FOR (slightly) more than 84% of the EU regulations.
You are fantasizing, Pugol-H.
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