• UK.Boris Johnson promises to finish Brexit before "a much improved Parliament"

In the never-ending history of Brexit, tension between the European Union and the United Kingdom rebounds when it seemed that after Boris Johnson's loose electoral victory, an opportunity was opened for an orderly and positive exit for both sides. The decision of the British Prime Minister to shorten the negotiation period for the future trade agreement that unites the United Kingdom and its former partners, was rejected flat by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. With her usual steel smile, the German expressed herself to the MEPs in Strasbourg: "In case we cannot conclude an agreement by [end of] 2020, we face a borderline situation again. And this would clearly harm our interests , but it will affect the United Kingdom more. " The European Commissioner of Commerce, Phil Hogan, puts figures to this statement remembering that almost half of the United Kingdom's exports are directed towards the EU , while conversely, being important it does not reach the fourth part.

The new escalation has arisen due to Johnson's intention that the negotiation to forge a new free trade zone does not extend beyond the end of 2020 "again leads to a borderline situation." The EU has never reached an agreement of this kind before two years, even with a country that gave all kinds of facilities like Singapore.

Von der Leyen stressed that in case of non-agreement with the EU, member countries will continue to benefit from the European single market and could easily search for new markets thanks to the extensive network of hundreds of trade agreements that Brussels has already signed, it boasted. But it is not the case in the United Kingdom, which also needs permission from Brussels to close alternative trade agreements during the transition period.

"We will try to do our best, " said EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier , but made his skepticism clear. The europhobic leader, Nigel Farage , ignored the warnings and, in his usual line, downplayed the serious economic consequences of Brexit. On the contrary, he used the well-paid seat that he still occupies in the European Parliament to insult the rest. "Europe is a prison of nations," he proclaimed. And looking at Von der Leyen and the new president of the European Council, Georges Michel, he came to express himself in these offensive terms: "You are gray bureaucrats that the British have thrown away as dirty water."

Von der Leyen asked for applause for British MEPs who defended the permanence in the EU and thanked them for their courage. "We will miss you, but not those who shout," he settled. For the German, the smart thing now is to try "a good neighborhood as narrow as possible" and "generate a good partnership for the good of the Europeans and the British."

The Belgian Charles Michel also promised to promote the best possible deal with the United Kingdom, although in the Barnier environment they make it clear that, since there is little time, the EU will focus on the chapters that most interest Brussels and not London , such as financial services, fishing and preventing the United Kingdom from trying tax, labor or environmental advantages to compete against its former club members.

The fall of the pound after Johnson's new attitude of shortening the negotiating calendar proves Von der Leyen. The British currency has lost all the gain experienced since the electoral victory of the Tory leader when investors believed that the departure from the United Kingdom would be more orderly than expected.

Budgets

On the other hand, Michel admitted that the EU's challenges are complicated by Brexit, as is the case with the multiannual budget program for 2021-2027. With the United Kingdom leaving the European Union "some will pay more and others will receive more."

Before the planned exit of the United Kingdom from the EU on January 31, the Member States must find a way to cover between 10,000 and 12,000 million euros annually that that country contributed to the community coffers.

Both Michel and Von der Leyen agreed that the proposal for a budget agreement by the Finnish presidency was insufficient and argued that the EU budget has new "own funds" which, they said, could be obtained from the European carbon trading system .

Both the president of the group of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, and the socialist, Iratxe García, disqualified the scars shown so far by the negotiators of the new budgetary framework. For Weber the current proposal of the Council for the budget as "pure provocation", and defended "turn the page of the issue of net taxpayers and net recipients", since "also for Germany - net taxpayer - investing in Europe is a benefit".

Garcia warned that "the cuts proposed by the Council to the budget are unacceptable," since it raises less funds for cohesion, agriculture, research or the fulfillment of climate objectives. "" It is impossible to do more with less. "

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