The European and British negotiating teams met on Monday 6 April to discuss how to continue discussions on the future relationship after the last two rounds of negotiations, scheduled for 18 March and 6 April, were unable to be held because of Covid-19.
Clara Martinez Alberola, Michel Barnier's deputy negotiator, met with David Frost, the British negotiator, today, and it was agreed that Frost and Barnier would meet again “next week” to decide on a timetable for “moving the negotiations forward”.
Last week the two sides discussed the technical aspects of the draft future relationship (London and the Commission had sent each other their draft texts in early March).
Five formal rounds of talks had been agreed up to 13 May, according to a timetable circulated by both sides at the end of February. Only one round took place, on 2 March. Since then, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and is “recovering at home”, according to a spokesman.
Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, who also tested positive, has been in intensive care since Monday, and has so far been replaced by Dominic Raab. The Commission wished Johnson “a speedy recovery”, said Commission spokesman Eric Mamer on Tuesday. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)