The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, again warned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday 8 January in London about the very short timeframe – 11 months – that London and the European Union will have from February onwards to negotiate their post-Brexit strategic relationship.
Ms von der Leyen stressed the need to “prioritise” the areas that can be agreed, in a speech at the London School of Economics (LSE). In this window of barely 11 months, “without extending the transition period” post-Brexit, it will not be “possible to reach agreement on every aspect” of this future relationship, which must cover trade, security, foreign affairs, cultural relations, transport and even fisheries, and so forth.
The post-Brexit transition period and negotiation of the strategic relationship between the UK and the Twenty-Seven will start on 1 February, when the UK and European parliaments (in the European Parliament mini plenary session on 29 January) will have ratified the withdrawal agreement agreed in October (see EUROPE 12351/2).
In London, before meeting Boris Johnson later in the day, accompanied by EU negotiator Michel Barnier, the President of the Commission reiterated her desire for the two partners to remain very close, even if this partnership cannot be as “close as before”. And the more the UK wants to move away from European standards, the more “distant” this partnership will be, she added.
Despite these warnings, Ms von der Leyen delivered a very warm speech to the United Kingdom and the British people, whose valuable contribution over more than 45 years of EU membership she praised. As a student at the LSE for a year, she “fell in love with” the country and its people, she said. And she expressed her conviction that both partners will continue to share the same values once the country becomes a non-Member State again, both in the cultural and scientific and geopolitical fields.
Resumption of debates in the British Parliament on the withdrawal agreement
Ms von der Leyen’s visit coincided with the resumption of debate in the House of Commons on the agreement allowing for an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU as renegotiated by Boris Johnson.
This agreement confirms the post-Brexit rights of European citizens residing in the UK and British citizens residing in the EU, organises a special protocol for Northern Ireland and regulates the financial arrangements. It received a first green light from British MPs on 20 December (see EUROPE 12395/4).
Asked about several aspects of this agreement, the British Government has, among other things, reiterated once again that controls will be necessary between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
For their part, national experts met in Brussels in the morning in an Article 50 working party, during which an update was given on the timetable, including the next steps in the British Parliament. There was no discussion of substance.
Andrej Plenković targets trade and fisheries as sensitive issues
On Wednesday in Zagreb, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, whose country has held the EU Council Presidency since 1 January, said negotiations with the UK should be conducted in a “comprehensive, inclusive but realistic” manner.
Asked about the priority areas to be agreed by the end of 2020, he cited trade and fisheries, even though the latter was not his country’s concern. “These two topics seem important to complete a ‘level playing field’ between our societies”, he told a group of Brussels-based journalists, including EUROPE.
The Croatian Prime Minister explained that a list of priority topics had already been discussed with Mr Barnier. Nevertheless, he added that a “debate on the negotiating mandate [seemed] open”.
For Mr Plenković, the process needs to be started as soon as possible. He said he was convinced that Germany, which will assume the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2020, will “do its best to conclude the work”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Camille Cerise Gessant)