After a shortened discussion session, including a dinner on Wednesday 15 July in Brussels between EU negotiator Michel Barnier and British negotiator David Frost, the two sides will resume their talks on the future economic and security relationship more formally on 20 July in London.
This more traditional discussion cycle should indeed allow more topics to be discussed, whereas the restricted meetings have been narrowly defined to focus on the most sensitive points, such as the level playing field.
The agenda for this new round of discussions thus includes, in addition to exchanges on a level playing field, governance, and fisheries, round tables on energy, judicial cooperation, social security coordination, and transport.
Since the resumption of discussions at the end of June, as decided by Boris Johnson, Ursula von der Leyen, and Charles Michel during their videoconference on 15 June (see EUROPE 12506/6), little has been communicated by the negotiators. Michel Barnier, for example, confined himself to a press release after the last round, held in Brussels on 2 July, in which he indicated that disagreements persisted on the main issues of governance, the level playing field, and fisheries (see EUROPE 12519/19). He reiterated this status quo position on July 9 in a tweet.
Since then, the Commission has also published notices to prepare for the UK’s final exit from the EU on 1 January 2021, including for the case of absence of an agreement (see EUROPE 12254/32).
In the EU Council, the last review of the situation with Michel Barnier took place in June at the level of the Permanent Representatives, but meetings of the working groups are scheduled, as was the meeting of 10 July on these preparatory measures. The Commission also regularly informs Member States of its limited contacts with London. A meeting was held on July 17 to discuss the July 15 dinner between Michel Barnier and David Frost and the discussion session that accompanied this meeting.
In any case, the general impression in the EU Council remains that very little progress is being made and that the political impetus sought by the three leaders in mid-June has not yet been translated into action, according to one source. The positions remain virtually unchanged.
This new cycle, scheduled for next week, will therefore be of particular importance, according to this source, as it could allow us to really see where both sides stand. The two negotiators and their close teams will then meet again in restricted format until the next formal round, this time scheduled for 17-21 August in Brussels.
Northern Ireland
A meeting of the expert committee on the Northern Ireland Protocol was held on 16 July, according to a Commission press release. The Commission welcomed “the fact that the UK has now engaged in technical discussions on the full range of issues under the Protocol” and hailed “the UK’s efforts to present its plans for implementing the Protocol”.
However, the Commission noted that there are “important questions open at this stage” and “remains concerned” about the time it will take to implement these plans, given that the protocol is due to be applicable in 5 months.
Link to next week’s agenda: https://bit.ly/394YdCY (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)