Brexit talks stall as EU's Michel Barnier warns time is running out

Talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union ended with little progress today amid warnings of a failure unless key issues were not settled within weeks.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier said he was “disappointed and concerned and surprised”, while UK chief negotiator David Frost said there had been “little progress” and that an agreement “will not be easy to achieve”.

The comments came at the end of a hardball week in which Brussels was accused of blocking British attempts to discuss free trade while pressing its own demands for concessions on fishing rights and for the UK to align its law with Brussels competition rules in perpetuity.

Both sides have said September is an effective deadline for an agreement to allow time for it to be ratified before Britain leaves EU rules at the end of December.

Michel Barnier takes off his mask prior to speaking at a conference in Brussels on Friday
AP

Mr Frost said: “Agreement is still possible, and it is still our goal, but it is clear that it will not be easy to achieve. Substantive work continues to be necessary across a range of different areas of potential UK-EU future co-operation if we are to deliver it.” He expressed frustration that Brussels had adopted a negotiating tactic of refusing to agree even on areas where the two sides are not far apart unless its own priority demands are met.

“The EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts. This makes it unnecessarily difficult to make progress.”

Michel Barnier with Europe advisor David Frost
AP

He said that the UK would not compromise on sovereign control of laws, borders and waters, and called for a free trade deal like the one given to Canada, along with agreements to continue co-operation in areas such as aviation, scientific programmes and law enforcement. “When the EU accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation, it will be much easier to make progress.”

The European Union has even rebuffed British calls for talks on a deal to allow London to send unwanted migrants back to Europe from 2021, with officials saying this issue was potential leverage in wider negotiations.

Mr Barnier told a news conference: “Those who were hoping for negotiations to move swiftly forward this week will have been disappointed.

“And unfortunately I too am frankly disappointed and concerned, and surprised as well.”

“The British negotiators have not shown any real willingness to move forward on issues of fundamental importance for the European Union and this despite the flexibility which we have shown over recent months.”

He said a deal currently looks unlikely. “Too often this week it felt as if we were going backwards more than forwards. I simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time,” he said.

The EU says the UK stance on fisheries is a “no go” and wants quotas for EU members to continue. On the “level playing field” rules, which the EU regards as essential to stop unfair competition, the two sides face a key challenge on agreeing subsidy control.