A call to the summit to unblock Brexit.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet at the end of the day on Saturday to try to unblock negotiations, still at an impasse with less than a month to go. of the United Kingdom of the common market.
At the end of the meeting, the two leaders announced that negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union would resume Sunday in Brussels.
Despite the differences that persist, they said a "further effort must be made" by negotiators to determine whether these can be "resolved", the two leaders said in a joint statement transmitted by Downing Street, indicating that 'they would meet again on Monday evening.
At the end of a new intense week of discussions in London to try to strike a free trade agreement, European negotiators Michel Barnier and British David Frost had concluded on Friday evening that "the conditions for an agreement are not met , due to significant discrepancies ".
They then announced the suspension of discussions, announcing that the president of the European executive and the head of the British government "will discuss the state of play" on Saturday afternoon.
"We keep our calm, as always. If there is still a way, we will see," Michel Barnier told journalists on Saturday morning before taking his train to Brussels.
Always three obstacles
The same three stumbling blocks remain: the guarantees demanded in London in terms of competition, the way to settle disputes in the future agreement and the access of European fishermen to British waters.
A European source spoke of "serious difficulties", refusing to comment on the chances of unblocking the situation with the expected meeting between the two European and British leaders.
Since the official Brexit date, January 31, London has continued to apply European rules.
It is only at the end of the transition period which ends on December 31 that the real upheavals will occur.
The Europeans aim to conclude a free trade agreement before the end of the weekend, on condition that it can be ratified in time by the European Parliament to enter into force on December 31.
A European summit bringing together the leaders of the 27 in person is scheduled for December 10 and 11 in Brussels.
If London and Brussels fail to agree, their exchanges will take place from January 1 according to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), synonymous with customs duties or quotas, running the risk of a new shock. economic addition to that of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite its low weight from an economic point of view, fishing is a totem pole for both camps.
The British claim respect for their sovereignty as a coastal state.
France warned on Friday that it would not hesitate to put its veto if the agreement that would be reached did not suit it.
Paris is worried to see the EU granting too many concessions to the British for fear of a "no deal".
According to a European diplomat, this apprehension is shared by other capitals, such as Rome, Madrid, Brussels and Copenhagen.
"We don't want to get locked into an unbalanced relationship for decades to come," he explained.
After this weekend under high tension, a very controversial text made its return Monday before the British deputies: the bill on the British internal market.
Despite the fury of Europeans, the British government will reintroduce its controversial provisions - redacted by the upper house of Parliament, that of the Lords - reserving for it the possibility of overriding certain provisions of the divorce treaty with the EU concluded just ago a year.
The Johnson government insists that it is a "safety net", which in any case would no longer be necessary in the event of an agreement.
The Europeans see it as an additional difficulty added by the British, which undermines confidence in the respect of any agreement reached with London.
With AFP
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