EU countries urge Brexit negotiator not to be rushed into a deal

European Union member states urged the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator on Wednesday not to be rushed into agreeing an unsatisfactory trade deal with Britain just because a Dec. 31 deadline is looming, a senior EU diplomat said.

The diplomat said several member states would rather see negotiations, which have been stuck for months, continue past the end of Britain’s transition phase on Dec. 31 even if that means there is a brief “no deal” period.

“There is a worry that because of this pressure of time there is a temptation to rush,” the diplomat said after a briefing by negotiator Michel Barnier for the 27 member states’ envoys in Brussels. “We told him: don’t do that.”

An EU diplomat said on Wednesday Britain and the European Union are quickly approaching a make or break moment in talks on a trade deal and it is not clear if an agreement can be reached because of differences on three main issues,.

The EU and Britain are negotiating a trade deal that would regulate their business relationship from next year, after the end of Britain’s transition period after its exit from the EU.

But negotiators cannot overcome differences on fisheries, state aid for companies and future dispute resolution.

“We are quickly approaching a make or break moment in the Brexit talks. Intensive negotiations are continuing in London. As of this morning it is still unclear whether negotiators can bridge the gaps on issues like level playing, governance and fisheries,” the EU diplomats said.

“As we are entering the endgame of the Brexit negotiations, some member states are becoming a bit jittery. So this was mostly an exercise to calm nerves in Paris and elsewhere and to reassure member states that team Barnier will continue to defend core EU interests including on fisheries,” the diplomat said. 

Main Photo: A campaigner wearing a vest stands at a erminal of a ferry operator in the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 01 December 2020, as part of the Get Ready For Brexit campaign. EPA-EFE/ROBIN UTRECHT