The Level

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, The post-Brexit trade talks between the United Kingdom and the EU were never going to be easy.

the UK leave the EU at 31. January and we are now in a transitional phase until The End of the year, with all The Rules and regulations and budget payments to remain the same.

this means That Time Is of The Essence and to make matters worse, The Talks have been taking place over a video link, in the Long Shadow of the coronavirus crisis.

So There are no opportunities for informal conversations in The Corridors , to try to move things forward.

said, But as the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier , that is the only reason that little progress has been achieved, after four rounds of negotiations.

It is mainly a question of substance.

Comprehensive offer?

There is No Agreement So Far on the basic structure of what you are trying to negotiate.

The EU wants to trade with a comprehensive offering for all aspects of The Future relations, not only. But the UK sees it as an attempt, tied him up tighter than it wants to, to do the European institutions, and ways of making things.

the UK argues, there should be a series of separate agreements, including a basic free-trade deal. But the EU sees this as another example of the UK trying to cherry-pick the benefits that he wants, without the obligations of EU membership.

key differences

There are also certain topics on which the negotiators have a bit of a wall.

First of all, there is what is known as the "level playing field". This means that measures to ensure the company, on the one hand, not an unfair advantage over their competitors on The Other .

All the trade agreements have such measures, but the EU wants to stick to the UK very closely to the EU rules on things such as workers rights, environmental restrictions, and state aid or subsidies for the economy.

Then there is fishing: great Britain wants full access to the EU-to sell, market their fish there, but In Return , the EU wants. the full access for its boats to fish in UK waters British negotiators say that is not possible, because the United Kingdom is now an independent coastal state.

fishing makes up only a tiny part of the economy on both sides, but it was a large part of the Leave-campaign, won the Brexit referendum in the UK in 2016.

A third important area is not in accordance of what is described as the governance of any future agreement. This is, in part, on the General structure of The Deal , but it's also about how all of the new agreements would be enforced, and The Role of the European court of justice.

another question, which remains extremely sensitive, before you Escape, on the retention of The Land border in Ireland (which is now The Border between the United Kingdom and the EU) is as open as it is now.

The EU is concerned that the UK may not live up to all The Commitments it has made; the United Kingdom strongly disagree.

watch.

So, there are many problems to solve, and it usually takes years to do a trade offer. But this process has only left a matter of months.

And if there is no trade agreement to be completed after The End of the year, the United Kingdom is not a formal dealings with its closest neighbours, which account for almost half of its total foreign trade.

It is well to remember that the negotiations are not only about trade. There are important conversations, for example about the police, and security cooperation as well. The UK do not want the same access to common databases, which it has now, but the EU that is in the offer, for non-members.

It is a wide-ranging agenda, with little time left to arrange themselves. By law, an extension of the transition period would have to be agreed by The End of this month, and the EU says it is an extension ready to speak.

The Scottish and Welsh governments are in favour of, the Northern Ireland Assembly. But the British government has repeatedly ruled that option out.

she says she wants to get on with things.

Basic offer?

So any base can be done-deal yet?

If the political will is present to make concessions on both sides, then Yes, maybe it can.

The Prime Minister is not directly involved in this month. He is in talks with the President of the European Commission and the European Council , as negotiations are underway.

And high - level political involvement can lead to progress.

If it does not, companies on both sides of the channel are only slightly more than six months to prepare for an abrupt change in style, as they remain trade, at a time when many already are struggling afloat.

The economic challenges caused by Covid-19 may strengthen the case for the compromise; or it is possible that those who will decide in favor of a radical break with the EU, press on regardless.

reality check, eu-uk post-brexit trade talks, michel barnier, brexit

Source of news: bbc.com