The third round of talks with the United Kingdom (the second by videoconference) was once again “disappointing”, according to the assessment of EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on 15 May.
Compared to the meeting of 20 to 24 April, the negotiator identified slight progress and “a very beginning of constructive dialogue on fisheries”, he cited as an example, before specifying that, in this area, however, “our positions remain extremely divergent”. But the British side has submitted a working document for this round, which they had not done so far.
For the rest, notably on guarantees of fair competition or the single governance framework, there has been “no progress”. London, the negotiator said, assures the EU that its standards will be irreproachable and even higher than those of the EU on the environment or working conditions. The Frenchman therefore does not understand why the British Government does not want to engage more in a structured discussion on these conditions of competition.
And London has refused to make a substantial commitment on governance, conceding, according to Mr Barnier, some “useful” discussions on “sectoral issues” but not on “the single governance framework we want to have”.
EU negotiators were also “disappointed by the UK’s lack of ambition in other important and symbolic areas”, namely in the fight against money laundering, but also in judicial, police and criminal cooperation.
On these subjects, London refuses, for example, to commit to data protection guarantees and even asks, according to Mr Barnier, that European standards be reduced in certain cases, which is obviously “impossible”, especially for an agreement on air passenger data (PNR).
EU “dogmatism”
On the London side, the evaluation of this new discussion session was not much different, with the government pointing to the EU’s “dogmatism” on certain aspects of the negotiations. “We have made very little progress towards agreement on the most important issues that remain outstanding between us”, said London negotiator David Frost in a statement.
Yet, according to London, it is entirely possible over time to conclude “a standard comprehensive free trade agreement, with other key agreements on issues such as law enforcement, civilian nuclear and aviation in parallel, all in line with the political declaration”.
“And the main obstacle to this is the EU’s insistence on including a set of new and unbalanced proposals on the so-called ‘level playing field’ that would either bind the country to EU law or standards or determine our national legal regimes in a way that is unprecedented in free trade agreements and not envisaged in the political declaration. As soon as the EU recognises that we will not reach an agreement on this basis, we will be able to move forward”, David Frost added, commenting that “it is difficult to understand why the EU insists on an ideological approach” that makes it difficult to reach an agreement.
According to Mr Barnier, discussions also stalled over London’s request to have some quotas and tariffs in certain areas, if necessary, to avoid EU standards. For Mr Barnier, negotiating these specific tariff lines would take years, as the experiences of Japan or Canada show. Does this mean that London is asking for “an extension of the transition period?” the negotiator asked.
According to Mr Barnier, although a new round is scheduled for early June, the negotiations have not yet reached “the point of failure”. Mr Barnier even believes that it is still possible to make progress in the short time remaining, even if London does not ask for an extension, particularly on fisheries, where Mr Barnier does not rule out a “compromise”. The two parties will meet again on 1 June. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)