• Brexit The EU and the UK celebrate "substantial progress" and border on an agreement despite important differences in fisheries

London and Brussels have decided to extend the negotiations of the trade agreement for "a few days", despite the ultimatum of the European Parliament, which had set the deadline of December 20 to vote on the legal text before the end of the year, when it expires the Brexit transition period.


"We have given ourselves a few more days because we believe that the agreement is still possible,"

said French Minister for Europe

Clément Beaune

.

"It will be tough, but we are going to try. We want it to be a good agreement, and in particular with regard to fishing quotas and guarantees for fair competition."


The main stumbling block in the countdown to the negotiations in Brussels has once again been fishing.

Although the fishing sector is barely 0.1% of the British GDP, it is a highly symbolic point for the "premier" Boris Johnson, in his intention to "regain control" of the laws, borders and waters. territorial after leaving the EU.


Today, the catches of British vessels in their own waters are equivalent to 850 million euros a year, compared to 650 million for the Community fleet.

The EU has offered to give up 25% of its catches, but London is demanding "repatriation" of up to 60%.

The difference in economic terms is 162 million euros per year compared to 390 million euros.


Analysts highlight how a difference of just 228 million can put at risk a deal that affects billions and that is already practically closed in a text of more than 600 pages.

The pressures of the European Fisheries Alliance (representing the fleets of France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) are being vital so that the EU does not give more of the account and defend its quotas.


The British and EU negotiators have also not reached a meeting on the duration of the fisheries agreement.

The UK has proposed a specific transition period of three years, the EU intends to extend it to six or seven.


The other point of contention continues to be the

"equivalence" of standards

(subsidies, tax transparency, labor and environmental rights) and the

governance of the agreement itself

to avoid a divergence in the future.


Negotiation sources cited by The Guardian 'assure that the United Kingdom is still waiting for "greater flexibility that is not incompatible with our independence" from the 27. "We cannot accept an agreement that does not allow us to control our waters and our laws ", alleged the mentioned sources.

"We are trying to find all possible paths for an agreement, but it will not be feasible without a substantial change by the European Commission."


On paper, the negotiations could drag on until the very finish line of December 31.

The agreement could be applied "provisionally" from 1 January and later endorsed

by both the European and British Parliament.


The European Parliament has not yet ruled out meeting in a special session on December 28 if an agreement is reached earlier

.

Westminster gave British MPs a vacation last Thursday, with the warning that they could be called to chapel in the middle of Christmas and despite the new Covid restrictions.

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United Kingdom Barnier goes to London on a mission to "not be intimidated" in the final Brexit negotiation

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BrexitBoris Johnson acknowledges that there is a "strong possibility" of not reaching an agreement with the EU

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