adminLONDON. – Brexit trade talks that were on the verge of a breakthrough descended into a fight between the UK and France last Thursday as the British government said prospects of an imminent deal had receded.
With negotiators working around the clock in London, optimism had been growing for days that an agreement could be struck this weekend. But British officials said the European Union had suddenly turned up with a new set of demands, sending the talks backward. They didn’t say what the demands were and EU officials denied it.
The UK’s assessment came after French diplomats raised concerns a day earlier that the EU was making too many concessions to get a deal over the line.
One UK official said talks had taken a big step backward because the EU had hardened its position in response to the French. Another said that, despite the setback, a breakthrough is still possible in the next few days.
Senior figures close to the European side questioned whether the remarks from the UK were another case of brinkmanship to pile last-minute pressure on the talks or an effort to disguise the fact that the British themselves are making concessions.
Fundamental differences
One official said that fundamental differences between the two sides have persisted for weeks, but that hadn’t prevented both sides believing a deal was close, while another insisted the bloc hadn’t made new proposals.
The spat sets the scene for a potential call between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The talks are at a “critical phase” and there are “some tricky issues yet to resolve,” UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma told Sky News.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator remained in London on Friday for a full day of negotiations. Earlier, he had planned to return to Brussels to consult with Von der Leyen and diplomats from member states, an EU official said.
It’s not unusual for assessments of the likelihood of a deal to gyrate wildly in the final days of a negotiation as both sides try to make the other blink. Nonetheless, French concerns and UK red lines are genuine, officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is determined that his fishing industry won’t lose a big part of its access to British fishing waters and wants British businesses to be tied to strict rules on state aid and labour standards so they don’t have what he sees as an unfair advantage.
Last Friday, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune reiterated that France will veto any Brexit deal if it isn’t in the national interest. – Bloomberg
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