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BBC-No Change To 3 Main Issues In Talks, Both Sides Need To Sell 'Win'

EU-UK

BBC Europe Editor Katya Adler tweets a long thread on the state of EU-UK FTA talks. Some select quotes below:

  • "Much speculation [...] as we hear EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is expected to brief representatives of the 27 member states on Friday early morning .. Is a deal in the offing? Could it be announced this weekend? Early next week? Reality is, it could have been announced yesterday or a month or two ago. The main 3 sticking points (fish, governance, competition rules) have been the same since these talks began."
  • "Each side know compromises are needed [...] Of course EU coastal states eg NL and France know they need to compromise on rights to fish in UK waters but don't want to budge till [UK] gov shows flexibility."
  • "On competition rules. EU won't offer tariff + quota-free access to the single market to a big competitor on its doorstep without competition regulations in place and a means to reliably enforce them."
  • "Once compromises both sides will make are clear to each other, then the if/when/how of announcing deal comes down to choreography. Both sides have to come away being able to sell this as a 'win'. [...] With U.K. leaving the single market and customs union, the deal will be thin and will involve considerable red tape and costs for businesses. "
  • "Again it must be stressed that whatever happens now before the end of the transition period, this is no way will be the end of EU-U.K. relations discussions. One immediate example is financial services. That's not part of these negotiations."
  • "Those discussions will inevitably be smoother if this deal is now agreed between the two sides. As will practicalities concerning the flow of goods from GB to Northern Ireland. So the mood music around talks may suddenly be sounding more positive again but we await news whether - on those tough political compromises - the U.K. and EU have simultaneously held their nose and jumped."

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