Brexit: London and Brussels give themselves until Sunday to reach an agreement
Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on December 9, 2020. AP - Aaron Chown
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have decided to leave until Sunday to make a "firm decision" on the fate of post-Brexit negotiations, after a dinner over three hours in Brussels.
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Boris Johnson arrived at the European Commission around 8 p.m. (7 p.m. GMT).
He first met face-to-face with Ursula von der Leyen, before having dinner in the presence of a dozen guests, including the British negotiators, David Frost, and the European, Michel Barnier.
While fishing is
one of the most controversial subjects of the negotiations
, scallops and steam turbot were on the menu.
The meal did little to move things forward, however, it seems.
"
Very large gaps remain between the two parties and it is not yet clear whether these can be bridged,
" a British source told AFP after the meeting.
The Prime Minister and Ms von der Leyen agreed to continue discussions over the next few days between their negotiating teams.
They "
agreed that by Sunday a firm decision should be taken on the future of the negotiations,
" she added.
This summit meeting came just three weeks before the final split between London and the European Union, after months of talks without progress and faced with
the increased threat of failure
with serious economic consequences.
The objective of the meeting, on the eve of a European summit in Brussels, was to see if the most important blockages could be lifted but "
not to tie up the negotiations in a definitive way
", underlined Brussels.
Boris Johnson had estimated before the meeting still possible to reach a "
good agreement
", despite the demands of Brussels that "
no Prime Minister should accept"
.
Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, he promises that his country - which officially left the EU on January 31 - "will be ready" on December 31, when it will leave the customs union and the single market for good.
(With AFP)
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