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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s prime official mentioned Thursday that “substantial progress on many points” has been made in post-Brexit talks, but massive variations stay to be bridged.
Talking after a telephone dialog with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen added that bridging these variations, specifically on fisheries, “will probably be very difficult.”
With simply two weeks to go earlier than a probably chaotic financial cut up, hopes have risen over the previous few days in regards to the prospects of a breakthrough.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows beneath.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s government fee, are to debate the state of post-Brexit commerce talks in a name later Thursday — with simply two weeks to go earlier than a probably chaotic financial cut up.
The 2 have been holding common conversations up to now couple of weeks to see how the talks have been going, and every time they’ve sanctioned their negotiating groups to hold on looking for a deal forward of the looming year-end deadline.
The decision will begin at 7 p.m. London time (1900GMT), Johnson’s workplace mentioned.
Over the previous few days, hopes have risen in regards to the prospects of a breakthrough, most notably after the pair held their earlier talks on Sunday.
Nonetheless, everybody involved is aware of that there actually may be very little time left for the remaining variations to be ironed out.
The European Parliament even issued a three-day ultimatum earlier to negotiators to strike a commerce deal if they’re to be able to ratify an settlement by the tip of the 12 months, when the U.Ok. leaves the EU’s tariff-free single market and customs union. European lawmakers mentioned they might want to have the phrases of any deal in entrance of them by late Sunday if they’re to arrange a particular gathering earlier than the tip of the 12 months.
It’s the most recent seeming deadline over the previous few months, however every time it’s reached, the negotiators discover a option to keep on the discussions.
Although the U.Ok. left the EU on Jan. 31, it stays inside the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union till Dec. 31. A failure to achieve a deal would possible result in chaos on the borders at the beginning of 2021 as tariffs and different impediments to commerce are enacted by each side.
A commerce deal would guarantee there are not any tariffs and quotas on commerce in items between the 2 sides, however there would nonetheless be technical prices, partly related to customs checks and non-tariff obstacles on companies.
“Good progress, however final hindrances stay,” the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted Thursday after briefing leaders within the European Parliament in regards to the state of the talks.
The convention of presidents of the Parliament’s political teams mentioned it is able to set up a plenary session by the tip of the month, however given that “an settlement is reached by midnight” on Dec. 20.
If a deal comes later, it may solely be ratified in 2021, because the parliament wouldn’t have sufficient time to debate the settlement earlier than that.
“We give till Sunday to Boris Johnson to decide,” mentioned Dacian Ciolos, president of the Renew Europe group within the European Parliament. “The uncertainty hanging over residents and companies on account of U.Ok. selections turns into insupportable.”
Britain’s Parliament should additionally approve any Brexit deal and the Christmas break provides to the timing issues. Lawmakers are resulting from be on trip from Friday till Jan. 5, however the authorities has mentioned they are often known as again on 48 hours’ discover to approve an settlement if one is struck.
Michael Gove, a senior minister within the British authorities, mentioned that regardless of some latest progress, vital points remained over enterprise rules, the right way to resolve disputes and on fisheries, and that because of this the talks most likely gained’t result in a deal.
“I believe, regrettably, the probabilities are extra possible that we gained’t safe an settlement,” he mentioned. “So in the intervening time lower than 50%.”
Although each side would undergo economically from a failure to safe a commerce deal, most economists suppose the British economic system would take a larger hit, at the least within the near-term, as it’s comparatively extra reliant on commerce with the EU than vice versa.
Either side have mentioned they’d attempt to mitigate the affect of no-deal, however most specialists suppose that no matter short-term measures are put in place, the disruptions to commerce will probably be immense.
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Pan Pylas contributed from London.
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Observe all AP tales about Brexit and British politics at https://apnews.com/Brexit
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