After at least five or six deadlines missed in recent months, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, have decided on Sunday December 13, the day of yet another “deadline” between Europeans and the British, to once again extend the talks, with a view to reaching an agreement on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU).
“Despite the exhaustion, after almost a year of negotiations, despite the fact that the deadlines have been passed one after the other, we believe that it is responsible, at this stage, to make another effort “, assured the two leaders in a joint statement. “We therefore gave a mandate to our negotiators to (…) see if a deal can still be reached, even at this late stage. ” Michel Barnier, European side, and David Frost, British side, therefore resumed their discussions.
This time, no new deadline has been set. On both sides of the Channel, we know that the only one that counts now is that of December 31, at midnight, Brussels time. At 1er January 2021, the United Kingdom will be definitively out of the single market and the European customs union, customs controls will be re-established with the EU and the freedom of movement of Britons reduced on the continent. And, in the absence of the “zero tariff, zero quota” trade treaty that Brussels and London are struggling to finalize, taxes will apply to trade in goods between the two blocs, according to the rules of the World Trade Organization ( WTO).
“It’s millimeter”
Are there reasons to hope? “The central scenario remains the ‘no deal'”, still estimated a European source Saturday. However, “The British have moved a little bit in recent hours, but it’s millimeter”, said a diplomat on Sunday. “If Ursula is optimistic, then that’s wonderful, but I can see that there are still very, very, very serious differences between us. Best for everyone is to prepare to trade under WTO rules (…) We will not accept compromises on what affects the very nature of Brexit: our ability to regain control of our laws and our fisheries ”, a rather relaxed Boris Johnson warned, during an interview broadcast on Sunday on the TV channel Sky News.
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