On Thursday 15 October, on the first day of the European Summit, Member States had to be satisfied with calling on negotiators on both sides to “intensify” discussions on the future EU/UK relationship and asking Boris Johnson's government to make decisive proposals for forging a compromise.
While the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, were due to speak on the telephone on Wednesday evening with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the EU27 will take stock at their level of the progress made in the negotiations, but also of the points still outstanding, such as the level playing field and the control of state aid, governance and, of course, fisheries, described as the last extremely “politically sensitive subject in some Member States”, as one diplomat reported.
The leaders’ discussion should therefore allow these member states to express “their sensitive issues”, the source said.
The leaders will ask to be reassured on these three points and, as far as governance is concerned, on the fact that they can “trust” London, because the law on the internal market “does not help the negotiations”, the diplomat said.
However, another source close to the issue described fisheries as the “last and most difficult point” to resolve. This area is “very important for coastal states, of course”, the first source said, but also for the UK, and added that “connections are possible” with British interests in “energy or financial services”.
France and countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands are the most demanding on this fisheries issue and, “without a British move” on this subject, discussions may not continue, commented another source. But the situation of European fishermen varies from one country to another, with French fisheries not being the same as Dutch fisheries, “which makes things complicated”. And for another diplomatic source, fisheries is certainly not an area where concessions will be made in exchange for further progress.
Little is expected to happen on Thursday, but “it will be important to talk about it; it will be the last political opportunity to move forward together”, another informed source said.
According to a draft of the conclusions quoted by AFP, the message from the EU27 will be concise: it will call for intensified discussions, but also for preparation for all outcomes, including a possible no deal in January.
The text will also call on London to fully implement the withdrawal agreement and its protocol, called into question by the Internal Market Act.
“So there will be nothing on the content of the negotiations”, said another observer, who does not expect any signal to be sent on Thursday in London that an agreement is close. “15 October is Boris Johnson's deadline, it's not ours”, he adds. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Mathieu Bion, Pascal Hansens and Camille Cerise Gessant)