Their telephone conversation did not resolve the crisis that has shaken relations between Great Britain and the European Union (EU) since June 2016, the date of the referendum in favor of Brexit. On Monday, December 7, Downing Street and the European Commission said in a joint statement that conditions were still not “Not met to finalize an agreement” post-Brexit.
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What are the points of divergence?
Brexit formally occurred on January 31, but a transition period that freezes its effects began on that date to allow the two parties to agree on their future relations, especially trade. It ends on December 31. After this period, the divorce will become reality, with or without an agreement.
Three main areas of divergence still oppose London and Brussels on Monday: European access to British waters, the way to settle disputes in the future agreement, and the guarantees demanded in London by the EU in terms of competition in exchange for access without tariffs or quotas to its huge market.
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Loans to a “no deal”
Negotiators on both sides are instructed to draw up a list of the lingering differences that will be discussed in person in the coming days in Brussels. Wording that suggests that the British Prime Minister could go there to try to wrest a compromise, while the European summit on Thursday and Friday in the Belgian capital is widely seen as the deadline for an agreement.
“Although an agreement is preferable, we are ready to go on terms called “australian” if we cannot find a compromise ”, for his part declared the Minister Penny Mordaunt in the House of Commons, evoking a “no deal”. Relations between the EU and Australia are mainly governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Rules synonymous with customs duties or quotas, at the risk of a new shock for economies already weakened by the coronavirus.
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A controversial British bill
On Monday evening, the House of Commons passed a controversial bill calling into question the Brexit treaty, a vote that amounts to a measure of caution for London.
The text returns in particular to certain customs provisions for the British province of Northern Ireland, initially planned to avoid the return of a border with the Republic of Ireland on 31 December, a safeguard considered essential to the maintenance of peace on the island. For London, the purpose of the bill is to defend in reaction the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom by ensuring the continuity of trade between Great Britain and the province of Northern Ireland.
The adoption of this text after the lower house of Parliament, however, comes just after the British government said in the afternoon that it was prepared to abandon the controversial clauses which had prompted the EU to initiate infringement proceedings against the UK.
British Minister Michael Gove and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic “Worked constructively” on the implementation of the withdrawal treaty during a meeting on Monday in Brussels, the British government said in a statement, promising to withdraw its bill “If the solutions envisaged in these discussions are approved” in fine.
“Although we hope to be successful, it is prudent (…) that we keep the clauses in their current form as a last resort”, explained to the House of Commons the Secretary of State for Enterprises, Paul Scully, stressing that they allowed “Protect Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom”.
While the bill was first approved by MPs at the end of September, the Lords then revoked some of its controversial provisions. Monday evening, the House of Commons, where the government has a large majority, reintroduced the said provisions. The text should return this week to the upper house of parliament, before being sent back to the Commons for a final reading.
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