The struggle for Post-Brexit-agreement – the end of the year threatens the hard BruchDie fourth round of Negotiations is not finished: the United Kingdom and the EU make progress in talks on a future partnership.Stephan Israel from Brüssel2 Kommentare2″It’s my responsibility to tell the truth”: the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier reminded the British joint declarations of intent for a trade Pact. Photo:

at Least in one point both sides agree. You can’t progress in the attempt to regulate the future relationship with a trade and partnership agreement. The EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and British against player David Frost have found. Without a new contract duties and other trade barriers threaten between the UK and the EU, if the end of the year, the transition period expires after the Brexit.

“It is my responsibility to tell the truth,” said Michel Barnier. It had been this week, no substantial progress. “We can not endlessly continue,” said the Frenchman. This is all the more so, as the British refused to extend the transitional period and to give the talks on the future relationship with the EU more time. And the time is running out, because by the end of the year, the partnership agreements are only negotiated, but also in all 27 member States as well as in the British Parliament ratified it would have to be.

On Friday, the fourth round of Negotiations came to an end. In its media orientation Barnier made no effort to hide his Frustration. “We are approaching the Moment of truth,” he said. While Barnier was once more that the British negotiated seriously and it is the end of the year on a No-Deal arrive wanted to leave – that would be an exit from the single market and the customs Union without a safety net for the economy and supply chains.

the Same conditions of competition

several Times Barnier held the Political Declaration in the cameras, a 27-page paper, in which both sides had once agreed to the guidelines for the future relationship. The British wanted to deviate from the agreed principles, although Prime Minister Boris Johnson voted in favour of the paper, as an Annex to the exit agreement from last year. The main point of contention is the so-called “level playing field”, i.e. comparable competitive conditions. The EU insists, as a condition for a trade agreement without tariffs, quotas or other trade barriers. The latter does not want the British to compromise the supply chain to the mainland.

Barnier also reiterated on Friday that The EU has waived, in any of its trade agreements with third countries on customs duties or quotas, which usually needs to be for each product category in more years of negotiations, agreed. However, the British want to continue to be able to trade without these obstacles operate. Without comparable Standards, taxation, state aid, environmental or social requirements, the company would face on the mainland, Dumping and unfair competition of the British.

Both sides now hope on the summit meeting between Boris Johnson, and Ursula von der Leyen.

The British chief negotiator David Frost expressed himself in comparison to Barnier with Understatement: “The progress remains limited.” You have a slightly different understanding of how the word was true to the Political Declaration to be transmitted in a Treaty text. Frost, however, wants the talks to continue and intensify. That it is not preceded by to wrote the Briton also the fact that since Corona only via video conference, will be negotiated.

In the first round of Negotiations for a hundred-strong Delegation from London, was yet to come: “We are approaching the limits of what can be achieved by the interview format at a distance”, and let Frost said. Both sides now hopes for a summit meeting between Boris Johnson and the European Commission, head of Ursula von der Leyen before the end of June, the movement in the stalled talks to bring.

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