According to von der Leyen, progress has been made in negotiations with Britain, but the agreement is uncertain

According to von der Leyen, progress has been made in negotiations with Britain, but the agreement is uncertain

There has been some progress in the negotiations between the European Union and Britain, but it is still not possible to predict whether there will be a trade agreement. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, told MEPs on Wednesday. She added that the coming days will be critical. The United Kingdom withdrew from the EU in January, but until the end of this year, during a transitional period, trade continues as it did during its bloc membership. In the meantime, both parties are seeking an agreement to prevent the introduction of tariffs and other barriers from 1 January 2021. "In the current situation, I cannot tell you whether an agreement will be reached or not. But I can tell you that there is now a way to an agreement. It may be very narrow, but it is here," said von der Leyen, who said there were still two unresolved issues. These are fair competition and fisheries. The next days will be decisive. One of the most problematic points is fishing, on which the agreement may fail. Britain insists on taking control of its waters, while the EU wants to maintain access to them. "As far as fisheries are concerned, the debate is still very difficult," she told lawmakers von der Leyen, promising that the Union would continue negotiations, even though it sometimes seemed unable to resolve the issue.