China News Service, March 2. According to foreign media reports, on March 2 local time, the UK and Europe will officially begin negotiations on trade relations. However, judging from the negotiating program recently released by the two sides, differences between the UK and Europe remain.
According to reports, Britain has officially left the European Union on January 31, and is currently in the transition period. During the transition period, the British government continued to follow EU laws and regulations. But the transition period will end on December 31.
It is reported that about 100 British officials will arrive in Brussels for the first round of talks with the European Commission. The negotiations will continue until March 5. The second round will be held in London in late March, after which talks are planned every two to three weeks.
British Prime Minister Johnson.
The two sides stated that they hope to reach an agreement before the end of the year to start new cooperation in various fields such as aviation, fisheries, student exchange and other fields starting in 2021. However, judging from the recent talks released by the UK and Europe, no agreement has yet been reached on fisheries, judicial cooperation and the Irish border issue.
British Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove set an uncompromising tone for the British side in an editorial on the 1st. "We want the best trade relations with the EU. But we will not lose our newly restored sovereignty."
Britain has previously said that Britain seeks to reach a comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union, but will decide whether to withdraw from trade negotiations in June depending on progress. If a trade agreement cannot be reached, the trade relationship between the two parties will return to WTO rules. Public opinion believes that this result will be a "double loss" for Britain and Europe, which are important trading partners for each other.