There are 25 days left until the end of the transition period, which ends on December 31. If an agreement between the EU and the UK is not reached, then the scenario of a hard Brexit will be implemented. Issues such as free trade, fishing licenses, and jurisdiction remain a major sticking point. While some browsers require you to make concessions to London, others have accused the British of dragging out the negotiations.
The same proven tactic
The whole point of the British strategy is to pull the rubber, — this is the comment of Les Echos:
“For four and a half years, London’s tactics have remained unchanged: to bring the negotiations to a certain critical point in order to split the European camp in this way. … And every time, at the last moment, there is an attempt to reach agreements that would ultimately allow the United Kingdom to restore full sovereignty, while maintaining privileged access to the European single market — a market on which the UK depends, and in a critical way. These conflicting demands run counter to the conditions of the 27 States, for which there can be no question of granting London trade advantages without guarantees of fair competition. The European Union has set clear boundaries — and it must adhere to them to the end, despite the bogey of a ‘hard Brexit’.»
Risky game — at our expense
The failure of the negotiations could have serious consequences-first of all for the UK, but not only for it — such a warning is expressed by the Irish Independent:
“Subsequently, it may well turn out that those who insist on a hard Brexit on the part of the EU are in fact just very skilled negotiators. It may also happen that at the beginning of 2021, at the end of the transition period, the UK will plunge into the abyss of an economic crisis for some time, protests will take place in the country and political changes will be outlined, and the country’s political leaders will return to the negotiating table with Brussels with their tails between their legs. There is no doubt that this is an extremely risky game in which our jobs and livelihoods are at stake. In the short term, we will all suffer from the introduction of new trade barriers in one way or another. Only the extent of the damage is unclear.»
With its Charter in foreign waters
According to the newspaper Die Presse, the EU should meet the UK halfway on the issue of fishing quotas, because from an economic point of view, it does not matter much, while being one of the last obstacles to reaching a compromise:
“For many years — longer than the UK is part of the EU — the continent’s fishermen had the right to cast their nets off the British Isles. Now London intends to regain its sole rights to fish in its territorial waters. A symbolic but ultimately understandable idea. … For the EU, the UK is now the third country; this is how it should be treated. But it also means that former EU partners can no longer claim the right to fish in British territorial waters. For this, they must pay a price: they will have to accept the quotas that London will provide them with. We must not allow Paris (in the first place) to bully London again on such a trivial matter.»
