UK hits back at EU’s accusation on slow talk progress

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - The UK hit back at EU’s accusations on Friday that trade talks were not progressing as expected.

A UK government spokesman said: “This was a full and constructive negotiating round, conducted remotely by video conference, and with a full range of discussions across all the issues, on the basis of the extensive legal texts provided by both sides in recent weeks.

“However, limited progress was made in bridging the gaps between us and the EU.”

The UK blamed this on the EU’s offer on goods trade, which they say “falls well short of recent precedent in FTAs it has agreed with other sovereign countries.”

“There are also significant differences of principle in other areas. For example we will not make progress on the so called 'level playing field' and the governance provisions until the EU drops its insistence on imposing conditions on the UK which are not found in the EU’s other trade agreements and which do not take account of the fact that we have left the EU as an independent state.

“On fisheries, the EU's mandate appears to require us to accept a continuance of the current quotas agreed under the Common Fisheries Policy. We will only be able to make progress here on the basis of the reality that the UK will have the right to control access to its waters at the end of this year,” the spokesman said.

- EU’s disappointment

Earlier in the day, EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc was disappointed by the lack of progress in talks with the UK.

“Our objective for tangible progress has been very partially met this week,” Barnier said at a news conference, blaming the UK for “not committing seriously to a number of points,” which were mutually agreed by the two sides in a joint political declaration attached to the withdrawal agreement.

The political phase of Brexit ended on Jan. 31, with the UK leaving the bloc after 47 years of membership but remaining an EU member till the end of this year.

The UK and EU need to agree on the terms of future economic cooperation by Dec. 31, or extend the transition period. The deadline for this request is June 30 but the British government has consistently said it will not seek an extension.

Barnier named the areas where “the progress was disappointing” as trade, fisheries, and legal cooperation.

The EU is asking the UK to uphold high standards on social affairs, environmental protection and state aid regulation, from which the British want to diverge after Brexit.

EU is also not willing “to agree on any future partnership without balanced, long-term sustainable solution on fisheries,” Barnier said.

The EU’s terms involve reciprocal access to market and waters and caps the fishing with quotas.

The bloc also requires the UK to recognize the mandate of the European Court of Justice in all areas of cooperation, as well as to recognize the binding power of the European Convention of Human Rights, especially in the areas of law enforcement and security.

“The reality is that a market of 66-million consumers is negotiating with a market of 450-million consumers,” Barnier said.

The next round of talks begins on May 11.