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world news Diaranson 16 December 2020

Going 'the extra mile': UK, EU keep up Brexit trade talks

(AP) — Teetering on the But their leaders failed to
brink of a no-deal Brexit present visible progress on
departure, Britain and the any of the outstanding issues
European Union stepped of fair-competition rules,
back from the void Sunday mechanisms for resolving
and agreed to continue future disputes and fishing
trade talks, although both rights.
downplayed the chances
of success. Johnson said the “most like-
ly” outcome was that the two
British Prime Minister Boris sides wouldn't reach a deal
Johnson and EU Commis- and would trade on World
sion President Ursula von Trade Organization terms,
der Leyen ditched a self-im- with the tariffs and barriers
posed deadline and prom- that would bring.
ised to “go the extra mile"
to clinch a post-Brexit trade European Council President
agreement that would avert Charles Michel warned there
New Year's chaos and costs could not be a deal “at any
for cross-border commerce. price, no. What we want is a
good deal, a deal that respects
“Where there’s life, there’s these principles of economic
hope," said Johnson, offer- fair play." gling economies that have in the EU.
ing little else as rationale to become closely entwined as The U.K. government claims
keep on with talks that have It remains unclear how much part of the EU’s single mar- There are still unanswered the EU is trying to bind Brit-
struggled to make headway of the gap between the two ket for goods and services questions about significant ain to the bloc’s rules and
for most of the year and need sides is negotiating tactics took even longer. areas, including security co- regulations indefinitely, rath-
to be finished before Jan. 1, and how much reflects fun- operation between the two er than treating it as an inde-
when the transition period damental differences that The U.K. has remained part sides and access to the EU pendent nation.
for Britain, which left the EU make a deal unlikely. of the single market and market for Britain’s huge fi- Johnson on Sunday repeat-
last January, ends. “Negotiations need to have a customs union during an nancial services sector. ed his willingness to go to
purpose,” said Fabian Zuleeg 11-month post-Brexit tran- Brussels or other European
With hundreds of thousands of the EPC think tank. “We sition period. That means so Without a deal, the disrup- capitals if it would help seal
of jobs and tens of billions in just spent another 4-5 days far, many people will have tion would be far greater. a deal. His attempts to speak
trade at stake, von der Leyen not moving forward, so add- noticed little impact from The U.K. government has directly to key national lead-
said after her phone call with ing more days doesn’t really Brexit. acknowledged a chaotic exit ers including French Presi-
Johnson that “we both think help.” is likely to bring gridlock at dent Emmanuel Macron and
it is responsible at this point On Jan. 1, it will feel real. Britain’s ports, temporary German Chancellor Angela
in time to go the extra mile.” He said the extension of New Year's Day will bring shortages of some goods Merkel have been rebuffed
talks just seems an indication huge changes, even with a and price increases for staple by the EU, which says the
All this, she added, “despite “that neither side wants to be deal. No longer will goods foods. Tariffs will be applied Commission speaks for all
the exhaustion after almost a blamed for no deal." and people be able to move to many U.K. goods, includ- EU nations in the Brexit ne-
year of negotiations and de- between the U.K. and its ing 10% on cars and more gotiations.
spite the fact that deadlines It has been four and a half continental neighbors. than 40% on lamb, hurt-
have been missed over and years since Britons voted ing the U.K. economy as it Britain’s belligerent tabloid
over." narrowly to leave the EU and Exporters and importers face struggles to rebound from press urged Johnson to stand
— in the words of the Brexi- customs declarations, goods the impact of the coronavirus firm, and floated the prospect
U.K. and EU negotiators teers’ slogan — “take back checks and other obstacles. pandemic. of Royal Navy vessels pa-
were still talking at EU head- control” of the U.K.’s bor- EU citizens will no longer be trolling U.K. waters against
quarters on Sunday, with less ders and laws. able to live and work in Brit- Johnson insists the U.K. will intruding European fishing
than three weeks to go until ain without a visa — though still “prosper mightily” on vessels.
the U.K. leaves the economic It took more than three years that doesn't apply to the more those terms but British busi-
embrace of the 27-nation of wrangling before Britain than 3 million already there nesses have been sounding But others, in Britain and
bloc. left the bloc’s political struc- -- and Britons can no longer the alarm with increasing ur- across the EU, urged the two
tures on Jan. 31. Disentan- automatically work or retire gency. sides to keep talking.

“The 11th hour has passed “Every opportunity to still
and every passing moment of reach an agreement is highly
uncertainty makes it harder welcome,” said Merkel.
for businesses to prepare ef-
fectively for Jan. 1," said Hel- Spanish Foreign Minister
en Dickinson, chief executive Arancha Gonzalez Laya said
of the British Retail Consor- a no-deal Brexit would be a
tium. “double whammy” for econ-
omies already battered by the
While both sides want a deal, pandemic.
they have fundamentally dif-
ferent views of what it entails. Irish Prime Minister Micheal
The EU fears Britain will Martin, whose economy is
slash social and environmen- more entwined with Britain’s
tal standards and pump state than any other EU nation,
money into U.K. industries, said “even at the 11th hour,
becoming a low-regulation the capacity in my view exists
economic rival on the bloc’s for the United Kingdom and
doorstep, so is demanding the European Union to con-
strict “level playing field” clude a deal that is in all our
guarantees in exchange for interests."
access to its market.