EU tells Brexit negotiator: don't let deadline force bad trade deal
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[December 02, 2020]
By John Chalmers and Gabriela Baczynska
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's
chief Brexit negotiator told member states' envoys on Wednesday that
negotiations on a trade deal with Britain were reaching "a make-or-break
moment", and they urged him not to be rushed into an unsatisfactory
agreement.
Four diplomats told Reuters after a briefing by Michel Barnier that the
talks remained snagged - as they have been for months - on fishing
rights in British waters, ensuring fair competition guarantees and ways
to solve future disputes.
"He said the coming days will be decisive," said a senior EU diplomat
who took part in the briefing, just over four weeks before the
end-of-year deadline for a deal to avoid what could be an economically
damaging divorce.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, the diplomat said Barnier did not
specify a date by which an agreement must be clinched, but time will be
needed for all 27 member states and the European Parliament to approve
it before Dec. 31.
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"Swift progress is of the essence," David McAllister, who chairs a
Brexit group in the European Parliament, said on Twitter. "An agreement
needs to be reached within very few days if (the European) Council and
Parliament are to complete their respective procedures before the end of
the transition period."
Britain formally left the EU on Jan. 31 after 47 years of membership but
then entered a transition period under which EU laws apply until the end
of this year to give citizens and businesses time to adapt.
EU rules for the internal market and the EU Customs Union will not apply
to Britain from Jan. 1.
Failure to secure a trade deal would snarl borders, spook financial
markets and disrupt delicate supply chains that stretch across Europe
and beyond, just as countries grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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![](../images/120220PIX/news_z49.jpg)
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, wearing a face mask, is
seen in London as Brexit talks continue, Britain, December 1, 2020,
REUTERS/Beresford Hodge
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"DON'T RUSH"
Another senior EU diplomat said several member states would rather
see negotiations continue past the end of the transition phase even
if that means a brief "no deal" period.
"We need to continue negotiating as long as needed. We cannot
sacrifice long-term interests because of short-term timetable
issues," the envoy said after Barnier's briefing.
"There is a worry that because of this pressure of time there is a
temptation to rush. We told him: don't do that."
The first diplomat said there was no discussion at the meeting of
ambassadors of negotiating past Dec. 31.
A British government official said London would not agree to
extending the transition period with the EU, and Britain has
repeatedly ruled out any extension to the talks into next year.
London blames the EU for the impasse at talks.
A third EU diplomat said it was still unclear whether negotiators
could bridge the gaps on the three main sticking points but some
member states were becoming "a bit jittery".
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London)
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