Brexit: there would be a glimmer of hope in the negotiations, according to Michel Barnier
Michel Barnier, the head of the Brexit negotiators.
REUTERS / Francois Lenoir
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Tensions are very clear between the United Kingdom and the 27, and optimists who believe in the possibility of reaching an agreement for the future Euro-British relationship are rare.
But according to Michel Barnier, there would be a glimmer of hope in the Brexit negotiations.
In any case, this is what the chief negotiator of the European Union said to diplomats on Thursday, shortly before a meeting with his British counterpart David Frost.
Michel Barnier sees the glimmer of hope in the British overtures in the fisheries file or possible concessions are in sight.
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On the fisheries file, the United Kingdom seems divided.
On the one hand, there is the government's ideological temptation to achieve a complete break and to grant European boats only fishing rights on a case-by-case basis.
It would be a brilliant manifestation of sovereignty.
Conversely, British fishermen depend on the European market where they sell most of their catches.
Likewise, European fishermen land part of their catch in the north of England for processing, a job center that would be threatened by a lack of agreement.
Other sources of hope are threats from Joe Biden;
the Democratic candidate for the White House in a way conditions a possible free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on respect for the Good Friday peace agreements.
This drives a nail into the internal market bill, one that threatens the Irish clauses of the exit agreement and infuriates Europeans.
The British government has also backed down and conceded that the problematic provisions would be put to a vote in the Commons.
Boris Johnson himself is optimistic, but some in Brussels now fundamentally doubt Britain's willingness to reach an agreement.
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Brexit
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