EU and UK on Friday regretted lack of progress in talks on post-Brexit relationship after another week of talks, but still believe it is possible to avoid a "no deal", catastrophic on both sides of the Channel. "There has been no significant progress this week," said European negotiator Michel Barnier, after four days of discussions by videoconference.
"We will not be able to continue forever like this," he warned, stressing that an agreement was necessary by "October 31, in just under 5 months" so that he has time to '' be ratified by member states by the end of the year. But "I have no doubt that we will find common ground in the summer and at the latest by the beginning of autumn," he added.
"We are moving back on many subjects"
His British counterpart David Frost also reported in a "limited" progress. "The tone of our discussions has been positive," he said, however. According to a European source, negotiations were particularly difficult this week on conflicting points such as fishing or the conditions of fair competition demanded by the EU.
"We are moving back on many subjects", regretted for his part a source close to the discussions. In summary, the gap remains wide after this negotiation session, the fourth since the beginning of March. One solution would be to extend the transition period - and therefore the duration of negotiations - by one or two years, as London has the option to request by the end of the month. But the British categorically reject this hypothesis. Negotiators could also decide to speed up talks over the summer with a view to reaching an agreement in the fall.
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