Michel Barnier announces complicated negotiations to come - Jean-Francois Badias / AP / SIPA

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, sent this Friday to member states an "ambitious" draft of the new European trade agreement with the United Kingdom.

If the next negotiation meeting between Brussels and London, scheduled for next week, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the EU and the United Kingdom intend to continue their exchanges.

British position still unknown

"We have sent a draft agreement on a new partnership to the European Parliament and to the Council (which represents the member states) for discussion," tweeted Michel Barnier. “It shows that an ambitious and global relationship is possible. We have to give ourselves every chance to succeed, ”he said. "We will publish the text after our discussions and look forward to working with the United Kingdom."

We've sent a draft agreement on new 🇪🇺🇬🇧 partnership to EP & Council for discussion. It shows ambitious & comprehensive future relationship is possible. We must give ourselves every chance of success.

We will publish the text after our 🇪🇺exchanges & look forward to working w / 🇬🇧

- Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) March 13, 2020

In Brussels, some member states continue to press for Michel Barnier to defend a future close relationship with the United Kingdom, as part of an agreement guaranteeing "level playing field" between companies. But others oppose it, arguing that the Commission should wait to hear the British proposal, a priori a simple trade agreement without promise of alignment with EU rules.

Commercial agreement by December 31

“Publishing the project (mandate) is not a standard practice at this stage. It will only show that the EU and the United Kingdom are on different paths, "said a European diplomat. “Barnier thinks this gives an advantage (to the EU), but it is not. This will show that what we are offering is fundamentally different from what they are offering, ”he added.

The UK, which left the Union on January 31, hopes to reach an agreement on the future relationship with the EU by December 31, when the post-Brexit transition ends and European trade rules are not no longer applied by London. Many companies on both sides of the Channel are keen to pursue a close relationship, with similar rules, to minimize disruption to supply chains. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his country wants to keep its freedom to set its own laws, whatever the cost.

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