China News Service, December 18, according to Agence France-Presse, on the 18th local time, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned that the UK-EU trade negotiations are at a "critical moment" and only a few hours are left for negotiations. .
According to reports, Barnier said: "We are running out of time, only a few hours to conduct these negotiations... If you want this agreement to take effect on January 1 (2020)."
Data map: Barnier, the chief negotiator of the EU in the Brexit negotiations (pictured right).
Photo courtesy of the European Union
According to previous reports, on the 17th, both Britain and Europe expressed pessimism about reaching an agreement.
British Prime Minister Johnson said that the current situation in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU with a trade agreement at the core is severe.
Unless there is a major change in the EU's position, it is likely that no agreement can be reached.
At present, the most difficult issues for both sides are still the level playing field and fishery issues.
Both sides called on the other to change their positions.
The European Parliament expressed on the 17th that it hopes that the EU and Britain can reach an agreement before the 20th, otherwise there will not be enough time for approval.
The British government said that although the British Parliament has begun a Christmas holiday recess, if an agreement is reached, the members will be urgently recalled.
Britain officially "Brexit" on January 31 this year, and then entered an 11-month transition period.
The two sides started negotiations on future relations with a trade agreement as the core in March, and look forward to reaching an agreement during the transition period.
If no agreement is reached, the trade between the two sides will return to the WTO framework from 2021 and re-implement arrangements such as border inspections and tariffs.