Brexit: Progress Made in Tough Areas, Says EU Chief

Progress has been made in important areas of post-Brexit trade talks with the UK in recent days, the president of the EU Commission has said.

Ursula von der Leyen said there was "much movement" on problematic issues after "very, very slow progress with difficult weeks".

But he warned that there were "a few meters of the finish line" to reach the settlement.

The talks went online after the result of Covid positive between the EU team.

Face-to-face talks between the two sides in Brussels were suspended on Thursday after the test results in the team of EU chief negotiator Michel Barbier.

After Britain's post-Brexit transition period ended in January 2021, both sides are racing to strike an agreement to control their trade relations.

Negotiations will continue through video links on Fridays and weekends, as the two sides work at a time when discussions will resume.

BBC Brussels correspondent Nick Beke said he was told that Mr. Barnier will now self-quarantine after the team member exam results.

But it was understood that no members of the UK team would need to self-isolate, our correspondent said.

'Three main issues'

Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of this weekend's virtual G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, Mrs von der Leyen said that "time pressure is high" to reach a deal.

But she said negotiators would have "substance" to discuss during the video conference because the legal text for a deal was on the table.

"After very difficult weeks, with very slow progress we have now seen better progress in the last days, more movement on important files. It's good."

He said that "three main issues" remained in the negotiations over fishing rights, competition rules, and how a deal would be implemented.

But she said progress was made on "state aid" rules limiting government subsidies for the industry.

The European Union has demanded strict limits on such spending as part of any trade deal, arguing that they are necessary to ensure fair economic competition.

'Growing Concern'

The two sides are also negotiating how closely Britain should follow the EU's social, labor and environmental standards after the transition.

They are also troubled by how much European fishing boats should have access to British waters, and how much they will be allowed to catch from next year.

On Friday, the EU ambassadors were told that there was a good chance of striking an agreement if Britain showed political will.

Before the fresh round of talks began on Sunday, chief negotiator Lord David Frost said that "some progress" had been made, but the warned talks "could not succeed".

He said any deal would have to be "compatible with our sovereignty", and would allow the UK to "take back control of our laws, our trade, and our waters".

An EU diplomat told the BBC that the "growing concern" was that a deal could not be reached before the end of December to confirm it.

Any agreement must be implemented by the European Parliament before it is signed. This may require final ratification in the national parliaments of the European Union, depending on the content of the deal.

From the UK, any agreement will typically be subject to an inquiry period in the Parliament of 21 days - although there are ways for the government to round it up.

The diplomat said that EU countries agreed that the contingency plan should be "terminated" without a deal, so the bloc is prepared for "every possible outcome".

Sourced Link