‘Serious divergences’ remain in EUBritain trade talks
BRUSSELS: The European Union’s Brexit negotiator said yesterday ‘‘very serious divergences’’ remained in trade talks with Britain and suggested the bloc would rather accept disruptions in commerce in eight weeks’ time than yield on its key demands.
Britain left the EU in January and talks on salvaging a trillion dollars worth of annual free trade between the estranged allies are now in their final stretch before London’s transition out of the bloc completes on December 31.
‘‘Despite EU efforts to find solutions, very serious divergences remain in level playing field, governance & fisheries. These are essential conditions for any economic partnership,’’ Michel Barnier wrote on Twitter.
‘‘The EU is prepared for all scenarios.’’
His UK counterpart, David Frost, agreed ‘‘wide divergences remain on some core issues’’.
‘‘We continue to work to find solutions that fully respect UK sovereignty,’’ he said on Twitter.
The two spoke after two weeks of intensified negotiations failed to yield a breakthrough on the chronic sticking points: fixing new fishing rights, guaranteeing fairplay rules for companies and agreeing ways to solve any future trade disputes. — Reuters