The European Union's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Wednesday 24 June, called on the United Kingdom to change some of its positions and to send “clear signals” so that the two sides would be able to seal the deal on “a reasonable agreement” before the end of the year.
An agreement on post-Brexit relations between the EU and the United Kingdom remains “possible”, the negotiator said, speaking to the European Policy Centre (EPC) think-tank, as a new round of bilateral negotiations will begin on 29 June with regular meetings in July and August.
Recalling that the EU is open to “compromise”, including on fisheries, where the EU is prepared to “review certain parameters”, Mr Barnier expressed some irritation about the state of negotiations on the British side. While the coronavirus has indeed slowed some work, “I'm not sure that more progress would have been made in other circumstances”, he said.
The negotiator referred to the continuing public debate in the UK between those who favour a hard line on the EU and those who do not. He also discussed London's backtracking on the commitments made in autumn 2019 in the political declaration on future relations, notably on the level playing field. On the other hand, he said that the two sides were moving closer to an agreement on police cooperation. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)