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The
United Kingdom left the EU in January but the sides are trying
to clinch a deal that would govern nearly 1 trillion dollars in
annual trade before transitional arrangements end on Dec. 31.
"There are still differences, there are still some obstacles to
overcome," British Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky
News. "But I think there is now some goodwill on both sides to
progress things."
After congratulating Joe Biden on his U.S. presidential election
win, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday an EU trade
deal was "there to be done" and that the broad outlines were
clear.
Back in Britain on Monday for another round of talks, EU chief
Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said: "Happy to be back in
London today, redoubling our efforts to reach agreement on the
future partnership."
Barnier said there remained three keys to unlocking a deal:
respectful enforcement mechanisms, guarantees of fair
competition, and stable access to markets including fishing.
FISH
Fishing contributed just 0.03% of British economic output in
2019, but many Brexit supporters see it as a symbol of the
regained sovereignty they say leaving the EU brings. Combined
with fish and shellfish processing, the sector makes up 0.1% of
Britain's GDP.
"On fisheries we've always been open to doing a sensible
approach, looking potentially at agreements that might span a
couple, three years for instance," Eustice said.
"The issue will become what are the sharing arrangements, how
much mutual access do we allow in one another's waters and
that's obviously a discussion that will happen annually, but
there may also be a partnership agreement that sets out the
ground rules as to how we will work on that."
The prospect of securing a longer-term deal with the EU on
sharing the fish catch is important for getting a compromise.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday Biden's
election win in the United States could have an impact on this
week's Brexit negotiations, noting the president-elect's support
for Ireland's position.
However, the European Commission said the question of who is U.S
president would have no bearing on the talks.
Biden, who is proud of his Irish ancestry, has criticised Brexit
in the past and said it must not be allowed to harm peace on the
island of Ireland. By contrast, President Donald Trump has
spoken out in favour of Brexit.
The upper house of the British parliament, the House of Lords,
was due later on Monday to debate Johnson's Internal Market
Bill, which would allow Britain to undercut parts of the 2020
Brexit divorce deal and has alarmed the EU.
Eustice said the government would reinstate certain clauses if
they were removed from the bill by the House of Lords.
(Editing by William Schomberg, Timothy Heritage and Gareth
Jones)
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