EU, Britain far apart as key week of Brexit talks begins

Brussels/London, September 28

The European Union and Britain each mentioned a post-Brexit deal was nonetheless a way off as they started a decisive week of talks in Brussels.

Britain left the EU final January and is locked in negotiations on a brand new commerce deal from 2021, in addition to on implementing its divorce settlement with the bloc.

EU nationwide leaders are scheduled to evaluate the state of play at a summit subsequent month, with a no-deal Brexit nonetheless attainable.

Negotiations have stumbled over fisheries, honest competitors and settling disputes, and Brexit talks descended into chaos this month when London proposed draft legal guidelines that might undermine its earlier EU divorce invoice.

Britain’s Brexit supremo Michael Gove held talks with Maros Sefcovic, a deputy head of the bloc’s government Commission, on Monday.

“The UK’s positions are far apart from what the EU can accept. I have repeated the EU’s request to withdraw the contentious part of the draft Internal Markets Bill by the end of September,” Sefcovic instructed a information convention.

“We maintain that the bill, if adopted in its current form, would constitute an extremely serious violation of … the Withdrawal Agreement and of international law,” he mentioned, urging speedy progress earlier than he meets Gove once more in mid-October.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman mentioned in London that Britain’s focus is on making an attempt to make progress in formal commerce talks with the EU.

“As we are entering the final stages of the negotiations our focus is on what it will take to get a trade agreement in place, although the last two weeks of informal talks have been relatively positive there remains much to be done,” he mentioned.

“From the start of this process we’ve been saying that we simply want the standard free trade agreement … we continue to be asked to accept provisions that do not reflect the reality of our status as an independent country.”

Trade talks resume in Brussels on Tuesday. Lasting till Friday morning and likewise resulting from cowl power cooperation and transport, they’re the ultimate spherical of negotiations scheduled thus far.

EU leaders assembly in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are anticipated to authorise extra negotiations earlier than their subsequent summit on October 15-16.

They will then assess whether or not to concentrate on pushing for a deal or getting ready for a tough Brexit on the finish of the yr.

The EU says negotiators should seal a deal by the top of October or early November, to go away time for ratification by the European Parliament and a few nationwide parliaments so a deal can take impact from 2021 when Britain’s post-Brexit transition ends. Reuters