Negotiations between the EU and the UK have had to be suspended due to the presence of the coronavirus

Negotiations between the EU and the UK have had to be suspended due to the presence of the coronavirus

Negotiations on a "post-brexit" trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK), which are in a crucial phase, have had to be suspended due to the presence of the coronavirus. A positive test for COVID-19 was confirmed by a negotiator representing the interests of the "European 27". EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has therefore agreed with British counterpart David Frost to suspend negotiations at their level for a short time. He did not reveal the name of the positively tested member of the EU team, but added that talks at lower levels would continue. Any delay in the negotiation process may lead that it will be increasingly difficult for negotiators of both parties to conclude an agreement by the end of this calendar year, when the transitional period after Britain's withdrawal from the Euroblock will end. Unless a timely agreement is reached, businesses on both sides of the English Channel will face tariffs and other trade barriers from 1 January. It would harm the economies of both sides, but it would have a more negative impact on the United Kingdom, whose economy has been suffering from a coronavirus pandemic in recent months.