Barnier issues NEW no deal Brexit threat: EU sets in stone final date deal must be agreed. [ Ссылка ] #eudebates #debates #Barnier #BREXIT #negotiations
The European Union’s chief negotiator revealed he handed David Frost a timetable detailing how a deal must be clinched by Halloween to ensure it is in place in time for December 31. "If we are to ensure the ratification of a new treaty in a secure way before the end of the year, we need to have an agreement by around October 31,” The Frenchman said. Mr Barnier accused British negotiators of using “bad tactics” in a bid to force through EU concessions after the latest round of trade talks ended without an agreement.
He claimed UK officials were attempting to stall talks in the areas where the bloc has most interest until the last minute.
Mr Frost, the Prime Minister’s lead negotiator with Europe, has claimed the Brussels bureaucrat has blocked progress until Britain accepts EU demands on its regulatory level-playing field and access to fishing grounds.
The pair could resume talks next week if they are able to reconcile their differences, according to the EU negotiator.
A European Commission spokesman said: “The EU is engaging constructively and in good faith. We are working hard with the UK to overcome the significant divergences that remain between us.
“There will be contact between negotiators over the next fortnight. The next round of negotiations will take place on the week of September 7.”
During his speech in Paris, Mr Barnier revealed he is releasing a explosive new book detailing his Brexit battles with Britain.
He claimed the memoir, taken from more than four years of diary entries, will help Europe “learn the lessons of Brexit”.
The Frenchman praised Boris Johnson as “very intelligent and very pragmatic”, but said the Prime Minister had listened too much to people calling for a “Global Britain”.
In an attack on the UK’s post-Brexit future, Mr Barnier fumed: “These people have a political, ideological and perhaps philosophical idea of what their country must be.
“We also have those here, who see France with a rear view mirror or sort of nostalgia.”
After last week's talks, Mr Barnier said the process had gone “backwards” and claimed Mr Boris Johnson had reneged on his pledge to put a “tiger in the tank” and accelerate talks.
On Friday, he said: “It felt as if we were going backwards rather than forwards.
“Today, at this stage, an agreement between the UK and EU seems unlikely.
“I simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time."
