Intensive negotiations such as the UK and EU free trade agreements are not filled with gaps in position. November 6, 19:20
The UK and the EU-European Union, which continue to negotiate free trade agreements, have engaged in intensive negotiations until this week, but the gap between positions is still not closed, and the offense and defense continue at the last minute as the practical deadline approaches. I am.
The UK and the EU have entered a transition period to avoid rapid changes in society after the UK left the EU in January, and are continuing negotiations on free trade agreements and the like.
Negotiations have been difficult due to the gap in positions regarding fishing rights and subsidies to companies, and although the rupture was threatened for a while last month, intensive discussions have continued for about two weeks since the end of last month. I did.
After the negotiations on the 4th, Britain's chief negotiator Frost posted on Twitter that "although progress has been made, there is still a big gap on important issues," he said he would continue discussions.
Meanwhile, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier reiterated the idea of not making easy compromises, saying that "the EU is ready for any scenario", saying that there are still disagreements.
The transition period is until the end of the year, but the actual deadline for negotiations is expected to be within this month due to the need for approval procedures by the parliament, and the offense and defense are continuing at the last minute.
Former European Commission President Junkel concludes from a long-term perspective
Regarding the negotiations, Junkel, who headed the EU as chairman of the European Commission until November last year, responded to an independent interview with NHK online.
In this, former chairman Junkel said, "We are an alliance and a partner. We can solve it if we have a future-oriented spirit. It is in the interests of not only ourselves but the next generation. To solve these problems, we must look at the whole world, not selfishness, "he said, trying to reach a conclusion from a long-term perspective while understanding the difficulty of negotiations. I urged both sides.
On top of that, if the negotiations broke down, he said, "The impact of the new coronavirus on the economy is enormous now, but it will eventually disappear. He acknowledged that the UK would be more affected.
Regarding relations with Japan, he said that the importance of multilateralism had been shaken under the Trump administration in the United States. "Japan and the EU share values and value multilateralism. Japan. And the EU can bring stability to the world through close ties and cooperation, "he said.