Negotiations on an EU-Britain agreement are still stalled

Negotiations on an EU-Britain agreement are still stalled

According to the European Union (EU), another week of negotiations on a new post-Brexit trade agreement with the United Kingdom has brought minimal progress. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who was quarantined until Friday, said that after a week of video calls, "the same significant differences persist". Barnier is heading to London for the next weekend's talks. Britain's chief negotiator, David Frost, agrees that there are still significant differences between the parties, but insists it is worth continuing the talks. "It's late, but an agreement is still possible and I will continue to negotiate until it is clear that it is not," he wrote on the social and microblogging network Twitter. He also said that "in order for an agreement to be possible, it must fully respect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom". According to the AP, the lack of progress is frustrating, as last week on Friday the EU was optimistic and committed itself to a creative approach in the final stages of negotiations. The Union has agreed with Britain on a number of issues, but negotiations will be binding on the EU's rights to fish in British waters, guarantees of compliance with any agreement reached and the "level playing field" standards that the UK must meet when exporting to the EU. To reach an agreement, the EU will have to reduce its fishing requirements, according to the AP, and Britain will have to agree to some alignment with the bloc's rules. However, this is difficult for politicians on both sides. The United Kingdom left the Euroblock on 31 January, when a transitional period was launched to conclude the trade agreement. This should mitigate the economic impact of Brexit. This period will end on 31 December.