Brussels: The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Thursday major differences remain between Britain and Europe after a first round of trade talks ended in Brussels.
Barnier was speaking to reporters after four days of talks that launched months of intense closed-door negotiations involving more than 100 officials on each side.
“To be completely frank with you…there are many divergences, and they are very serious divergences, which is probably quite natural,” Barnier told reporters. He informed talks had snagged on several issues including the ability to uphold fair competition from British companies, often referred to as keeping a ‘level playing field’.
Barnier also expressed worry over Britain’s unwillingness to accept jurisprudence from the European Union’s top court as well as the European Court on Human Rights.
Barnier said while a deal was still possible, it would be very difficult as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to extend the talks beyond the end of the year. Until that date, Britain can trade like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers but with no say in deciding policy.
Barnier said the December 31 deadline left an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything but a bare-bones accord.
The Frenchman said the divorce would have ‘a lot, a lot of consequences, which we have to prepare for. It will not be business as usual’.
The officials met over two days at a conference centre here and split into nine groups for negotiations on a wide range of topics, with trade and fishing the thorniest issues.
Barnier stressed that fishing remained unresolved because Britain insisted on keeping very tight control of European boats accessing UK waters.
“The United Kingdom … wishes to negotiate reciprocal access to British waters and European waters on an annual basis,” Barnier said.
“I can say this as a former fisheries minister… it’s not practicable. There’s a hundred species or so. What we can do with Norway on five species simply isn’t possible for 100 species,” the Frenchman added.
Both sides have planned a total of five rounds of talks before a June EU-UK summit where leaders will take stock of progress. The next negotiation session is set for March 18 in London.
AFP