The negotiator-in-chief of the EU on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, Michel Barnier, and the British Brexit minister, Dominic Raab, on Friday 31 August reiterated their determination to do all in their power to reach an agreement on an orderly Brexit by the end of October or early November.
Meeting in Brussels for a new round of negotiations, the two men confirmed the progress made on internal and external security at a short press conference.
Barnier said again that the British White Paper of 12 July provides the necessary positive guarantees to build a close bilateral security partnership (see EUROPE 12061).
This partnership will include the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing and will be based on extradition agreements, the exchange of airline passenger data (PNR) and of DNA data, digital fingerprints or data on stolen vehicles (currently covered by the Prüm decision).
London has provided guarantees concerning the fundamental rights and confirmed that in these areas of cooperation, the Court of Justice of the EU will be the ultimate arbitrator. The UK can therefore claim a close partnership with the EU, the EU negotiator said. The same applies to foreign policy, where there are many overlaps of opinion.
Raab said that the post-Brexit partnership could be even more ambitious but stressed that he understands the limits and “framework” of the EU, which makes it impossible to go any further.
Despite the confirmation of this progress on security and other discussions on Galileo, the two men were only able to confirm that other major subjects remained to be put to bed, such as the question of re-establishing a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, an issue which will be a condition for the European green light in and of itself.
Without a backstop, there will be no agreement, reiterated Barnier, who has asked his opposite number to submit concrete elements to work on in the coming weeks.
Raab undertook to continue this work and to find a practical operational solution, stressing that he is bearing in mind the concerns of the citizens. We must not forget that beyond civil servants, there are people who will be affected, he commented.
Another issue concerns protected geographical indications (PGI) at EU level, which was also discussed on Friday. “On PGIs, of which there are 3000 in the Twenty-Eight, I have reiterated my concerns”, Barnier stressed, adding that Brexit cannot lead to any loss of existing intellectual property rights. The EU therefore hopes that clarifications are set out in the withdrawal agreement.
In a document published in 2017, the Commission asked London to set in place national legislation guaranteeing protection that is comparable to that provided for by European law. According to the EU, PGIs should have automatic recognition in the UK after Brexit. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)