the discussions between Brussels and London come to “a moment of truth”

All scenarios are still possible as negotiations for a post-Brexit agreement on 1^er January are in their home stretch. European Union negotiator Michel Barnier told the European Parliament on Friday, December 18, that discussions between Brussels and London on their future post-Brexit relationship were “A moment of truth” and that there was only “A few useful hours” for an agreement to enter into force on 1^er January.

“There is a chance to reach an agreement, but the way is very narrow”, he continued, stressing that the issue of fishing quotas and access to British waters remained one of the main difficulties of the negotiations. The Europeans want to maintain access to British fish-bearing waters, a crucial issue in particular for France, the Netherlands and Spain. The United Kingdom, for its part, has only proposed that the current fishing situation be maintained for three years, before deciding on the fishing rights it will grant.

“As we speak, very sincerely, (…) I cannot tell you what the outcome of this final stretch of negotiations will be. This is why we must be ready for all scenarios ”, added Michel Barnier, while MEPs must vote in the morning on emergency measures in the event of ” no deal “.

“We will resume negotiations this morning with [le négociateur britannique] David Frost for a last attempt to find an acceptable agreement, in particular on fishing. We are not sure of achieving this if everyone does not make a real and concrete effort ”, he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled on Friday “Difficult” post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union and said he expected concessions from Brussels. “Our door is open and we will continue to discuss”Mr Johnson told British television during a visit to Bolton (northern England). “I have to say that the situation seems difficult, there is a gap to be filled. We have done a lot and we hope our friends in the EU (…) will come to the table with something ”, he added, less than two weeks before the UK’s exit from the single European market.

“Sunday midnight”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British Prime Minister noted Thursday evening during a telephone interview the difficulty of reaching an agreement despite progress in certain areas.

At the end of a meeting Thursday morning with Mr Barnier, the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament warned that if they did not receive the text of an agreement by “Sunday midnight”, they could not ratify it in time for it to enter into force on 1^er January 2021, when the UK – which officially left the EU on January 31 – will definitely abandon the single market.

Without a trade agreement, trade between the EU and London will be carried out under the sole rules of the World Trade Organization, synonymous with customs duties or quotas, with serious consequences for economies already shaken by the pandemic.

The two other subjects which had blocked discussions until then – the conditions of fair competition and the governance of the future agreement – seem to be in the process of being resolved. On the guarantees demanded by the EU in terms of competition in order to guard against any social, fiscal or environmental dumping from British companies, the United Kingdom has made concessions and in return expects more flexibility from Brussels on the peach.

MEP Guy Verhofstadt, former head of the European Parliament’s Brexit steering group, has shown his optimism. “At the end of the day, I think there will be a (deal). It’s like always in politics, it always happens at the last moment ”, he said on Sky News.