In theory, the EU’s negotiator on the future relationship with the UK is due to travel to London this Sunday, 8 November, to continue talks with his counterpart, David Frost. The two men are due to speak on the telephone on Friday 6 November and to agree in principle to continue the discussions.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, will also speak by phone on Saturday 7 November to take stock of the negotiations, the Commission has announced.
On 4 November, Michel Barnier gave a mixed assessment of the two weeks of intensive discussions, pointing to serious and persistent differences on fisheries, governance and fair competition standards.
A diplomatic source commented on 6 November that “an agreement is not impossible, but it’s getting very tight with the time remaining”, thereby confirming the lack of progress on these three main elements, but also noting concerns about other issues such as public procurement, the nature of customs controls and protected geographical indications.
Northern Ireland
In addition, the fourth meeting of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee was held between the UK Government and the Commission on 5 November.
The committee discussed implementation of the medicines regulations in Northern Ireland up to 31 December 2021, which will give companies the extra preparation time they need. An agreement has also been reached on the process of identifying Northern Ireland traders for VAT purposes and enabling them to recover VAT when trading goods with the EU, says a UK government press release.
The press release does, however, raise important open questions about the smooth flow of trade and the practical solutions needed by trusted operators such as supermarkets, and about how to classify goods that present a real and substantial risk of entering the EU market. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)