The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that a post-Brexit trade deal between the bloc and the UK “seems unlikely” following the latest round of talks.
Barnier said that he was “disappointed” and “concerned”, while his opposite number David Frost said that there was “little progress” made over divisive issues such as fisheries and competition rules around state aid.
The EU is targeting the agreement of a deal by the end of October to allow the European Parliament to formally ratify it prior to the end of the post-Brexit transition period in December. The absence of a deal by the end of the year will see UK-EU trade default to World Trade Organization terms, meaning most UK goods would see tariffs applied until a free trade deal is enacted.
The UK has ruled out continuing talks beyond December if a deal cannot be reached this year.
In his statement released following the latest negotiating round, Frost said that the EU had made it “unnecessarily difficult” to make progress by insisting that agreements must be made on state aid and fisheries before talks can move on.
Frost said that the UK was pursuing a deal which would ensure “sovereign control of our own laws, borders, and waters” adding that when the EU “accepts this reality” it will be “much easier to make progress”.
The UK has provided a draft legal text for a free-trade agreement with the EU in the hope of making a breakthrough.
Another senior UK negotiator said that a deal was “still possible but not that easy” to obtain, and that the EU was “frustrating” proceedings by insisting that “Brexit means Brexit…yet they want us to continue with arrangements as though we were still an EU member”.
Meanwhile, Barnier accused the UK of “wasting valuable time”, dismissing the significance of the draft legal text in the wider process.
Barnier said: "Too often this week it felt as if we were going backwards more than forwards.
"Given the short time left, what I said in London in July remains true, today at this stage, an agreement between the UK and EU seems unlikely."
He added: "Brexit means Brexit. There is nothing tactical about this."
Barnier warned that failure to reach a deal would result in "economic turbulence, if not social and political disruption."
Despite deadlock over fisheries and state aid rules, there was progress in other areas such as energy co-operation, action against money laundering, and participation in union programmes.
Barnier said that the EU’s wish for a level-playing field on common rules and standards, one of the major bones of contention in talks, was “non-negotiable” to “grant access” to the EU market, with the bloc favouring the arrangement to avoid handing the UK a competitive advantage.
The bloc has said that the level-playing field should cover a number of areas including workers’ rights, environmental protection, state aid, and taxation.
The news of a deadlock after the latest round of talks will not come as any form of encouragement to the British Veterinary Association [BVA], which had called for clarity on arrangements for the movement of animals and animal products after the transition period ahead of this week’s negotiations.
The BVA has previously raised concerns about the impact of a no-deal scenario, warning that the veterinary industry cannot prepare for new veterinary checks on imports and exports along with a new framework for pet travel, until an agreement has been reached between the UK and EU.
BVA president Daniella dos Santos commented prior to this week’s talks: “As we enter the next round of negotiations we simply can’t know if the veterinary profession is ready for EU Exit, because we don’t yet know what level of veterinary checks on imports and exports will be required.
“Veterinary certification is an essential part of trade. It ensures consumer confidence in products by protecting animal health and welfare and public health. If we don’t have enough vets with the right qualifications in the right places, it could have a significant impact on UK industry.
“We remain concerned that if the UK cannot reach agreement with the EU, we won’t have the capacity to meet the increased demand for veterinary certification. A huge amount is at stake and we need urgent clarity to give our sector time to prepare.”
The next round of negotiations will begin in London on September 7.
Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
