National ambassadors in the Committee of Permanent Representatives were unable to finalise the text of the negotiating mandate for the future relationship with the UK on Wednesday, 19 February, a source said. Another meeting could be held on Monday 24 February to finalise the wording of the text.
There are still differences of opinion on the depth of detail for the level playing field, with some countries, for example, wanting to add references to standards at a level equivalent to that of the EU. Consequently it will take some work to find the right balance.
At this rather brief meeting, the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, went back over the British requests for a Canada-style deal, as formulated by the negotiator David Frost (see EUROPE 12428/13) and reiterated that the United Kingdom was not in a comparable situation, given its geographical proximity to the bloc. A position that the British government criticised on Tuesday 18 February, accusing the EU of having changed its mind about what it was offering as a possible agreement in 2017. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)