EU-UK trade talks kick off amid threats and deadlines

News

EU-UK trade talks kick off amid threats and deadlines

2020-03-02 19:28 Last Updated At：19:40

Long-awaited trade talks between the European Union and Britain kick off Monday amid deep tensions over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s threat to walk away from the talks if not enough progress is made within four months.

Britain became the first country to ever leave the EU on Jan. 31. Monday’s talks mark the start of a process aimed at securing its commercial, fishing and other ties with the world’s biggest trading bloc.

All that has to be concluded by the end of this year, according to Johnson.

Given that most EU trade deals with other countries take years to conclude, there is real time pressure on the negotiators.

This week's negotiations will take place in Brussels. The EU will be represented by the European Commission, which has supervised the Brexit process and which negotiates international trade agreements on behalf of the 27 member countries.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that no deal can provide the frictionless trade that membership provided.

The first round of talks will run until Thursday and are set to center mostly on negotiating formalities, although some discussion on the substance of an agreement is expected. The teams are expected to meet every 2-3 weeks, alternating between Brussels and London. Half a dozen or so rounds of negotiations are expected to take place by the end of June.

That will be a crucial moment in the discussions. Under the divorce agreement signed last year, Britain must decide by then whether it wants to extend a transition period that is aimed at smoothing its departure from the bloc, of which it was a member of for 47 years.

Johnson has insisted that he won't be asking for any extension to the transition period beyond the end of this year. That effectively means that in the event of no deal this year, Britain and the EU will then trade on terms outlined by the World Trade Organization, which would see tariffs and other restrictions imposed.

During the transition, Britain effectively remains within the EU's economic orbit, including its single market for trade in goods and services, even though it has left its political institutions.

Johnson was one of the main backers of the Brexit campaign in the June 2016 referendum, and said leaving the EU would restore his country’s sovereignty. London’s negotiating mandate states: “we will not agree to any obligations for our laws to be aligned with the EU’s, or for the EU’s institutions, including the Court of Justice, to have any jurisdiction in the U.K.”

The EU has said it won't be pressured by Johnson's demand to wrap up a trade deal by the end of this year and is keen to ensure that his government does not secure an agreement that could give Britain a competitive advantage. EU negotiators want Britain to sign up to a swathe of EU regulations, including environmental standards, workers' rights and state aid rules.

The first potential big tussle may well be on fishing rights. Johnson says Brexit means that Britain takes control of its waters. The EU, meanwhile, wants to make sure its fishing fleets still have access to British waters, in much the same way as they do now.

EU, Britain and Spain say significant progress made in talks on post-Brexit status of Gibraltar

2024-04-12 23:26 Last Updated At：23:31

MADRID (AP) — British and Spanish foreign ministers said a new round of talks held Friday over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain’s exit from the European Union were productive and significant progress was made.

The meeting was between Spain's José Manuel Albares, Britain’s David Cameron and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also attended. It was the first time representatives from the four areas had come together for talks on the issue.

In a statement after the meeting, the parties said "discussions took place in a constructive atmosphere, with significant progress achieved.

“General political lines have been agreed (on), including on airport, goods and mobility. Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks to conclude the EU-UK Agreement,” it added.

All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June.

Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border have made halting progress in the 19 rounds of negotiations so far, but both Spanish and U.K. officials have recently expressed optimism about a deal.

In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spain's southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries.

A major sticking point has been who controls Gibraltar’s airport, which under the proposed free-movement deal would be an external border of the EU. The U.K. and Gibraltar have resisted Spain’s insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base.

The British Foreign Office said Thursday that while it did not expect a final agreement Friday, "getting senior political figures from the UK, European Commission, Spain and Gibraltar in one room is significant.”

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless reported from London.