London, UK (CWBN)_ Arriving for meeting held with delegations from 27 EU states, in the early hours of the day, Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom, Michel Barnier, informed reporters that a deal is still possible, and that he is urging the EU members to make one last push for a trade deal.
Moreover, it was apparent that over the course of the weekend, both the UK and EU were able to hammer out some progress, given dialogues that took place between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and PM Boris Johnson. It was agreed that negotiations will be carried out past the Johnson’s self-imposed deadline (13th Dec).
However, both sides of the table maintain that a trade deal remains significantly unlikely. The EU claims that the British government’s unwillingness to compromise is preventing a deal from being approached, since talks began in March this year.
Barnier said that “Two conditions aren’t met yet. Free and fair competition . . . and an agreement which guarantees reciprocal access to markets and waters. And it’s on these points that we haven’t found the right balance with the British. So, we keep working.”
