The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, hopes that there will be an agreement with London on the future post-Brexit relationship, but cannot “say whether there will be an agreement” at the end of these new “decisive” days of negotiations.
The President addressed the European Parliament on the morning of Wednesday 25 November in a debate on the forthcoming European Council.
On the negotiations with the UK, which are currently taking place virtually, the coming days “will be decisive”, she told MEPs, but “frankly I cannot tell you whether there will be an agreement” at the end of these negotiations, the President insisted that three fundamental issues remain: fair competition rules, governance and fisheries.
The Commission is “ready to be creative, but not ready to question the integrity of the single market”, she added.
For an agreement, the EU needs strong mechanisms to “ensure that the level playing field remains fair over time”; it also needs a strong mechanism to accompany the implementation of State Aid rules and to have recourse in case one of the two partners deviates from the objectives.
“Trust is good, but the law is better”, the President said. On fisheries, the Commission does not yet see a satisfactory solution for European fishermen either.
The newspaper Les Echos also reported a telephone exchange on 24 November between the two negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, during which the EU negotiator reportedly told his counterpart that a physical trip to London next weekend to continue the negotiations would be pointless without real progress from London.
When contacted, the Commission did not deny the content of this article, but, for the time being, “discussions are continuing”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)