Brussels (AFP)

A long road full of pitfalls: the EU and London kicked off negotiations on their future post-Brexit trade relationship on Tuesday, which are due to start next week.

Less than a month after the British left the Union, the ministers of the 27 EU countries in Brussels and the government of Boris Johnson in London each approved the negotiating mandate.

The first formal meeting between the EU and the United Kingdom is expected on Monday.

They then have ten months to agree on a new treaty, a relatively short time given the complexity of the task. Throughout this transition period which will end on December 31, the United Kingdom will continue to apply European rules.

In Brussels, the Ministers of European Affairs insisted on the extent of the work to be accomplished. "This is a very complicated treaty. It will be a very difficult task, a long road awaits us," warned Dutchman Stef Blok.

"We are looking for an agreement that protects the interests of Europeans, we must look for a good agreement before giving in to calendar pressure," insisted his French counterpart, Amélie de Montchalin.

- "Sanction and retaliation"

Europeans are open to a broad partnership, including a trade agreement without quotas or customs duties. But they hardened the tone - under pressure from France - on the compensation requested.

Fearing more than all the unfair competition from the United Kingdom, they demand that it continues to comply with certain EU rules over the long term, in particular with regard to state aid, the environment and labor law and taxation.

"Zero tariff, zero quota, it is possible if there is zero dumping, but that does not mean zero control. We will of course have a mechanism potentially with penalty, retaliation and safeguard clauses if we see that the commitments made are not kept, "warned Ms. de Montchalin.

This requirement, unprecedented in a free trade agreement, is explained by the geographic proximity and the strong economic integration of London with the continent which is the first market of the British.

It was swept away last week by British Brexit negotiator David Frost.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Monday that the ports of Northern Ireland - hence the territory of the United Kingdom - were not ready to carry out checks on goods from Britain. However, this requirement is included in the withdrawal agreement.

Upon his arrival at the meeting in Brussels, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, whose country is on the front line on Brexit, took the opportunity to issue a warning: the implementation of the agreement already concluded "is the test of good faith and trust - and without good faith and without confidence, building a future relationship will not be easy. "

German Secretary of State Michael Roth also warned Boris Johnson: "My message is crystal clear to our friends in London: keep your promises."

The British now seem to want to be content with a basic trade agreement, like those negotiated by the EU with Canada or Japan, but which would preserve their ability to freely regulate their economy.

In addition to the conditions of competition, there is no lack of friction between London and Brussels, such as the future place of British financial services in the EU or the ultra-sensitive issue of fishing.

On this last point, the Europeans' mandate insists that the future agreement must "maintain reciprocal access" to the territorial waters of the two countries, which seems difficult to accept for London.

© 2020 AFP