Negotiations with the Union are in a difficult phase, says the British minister

Negotiations with the Union are in a difficult phase, says the British minister

The United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) continue talks on Friday on adjusting trade relations after Brexit. British business Minister Alok Sharma has cooled expectations of an early agreement, saying the talks are "in a difficult phase". Britain has always wanted the union to recognize it as a "sovereign and independent country" and that is the basis on which the agreement can be built, the BBC's public service broadcaster said. He quoted British sources as saying that Brussels had come up with new requirements in the area of ​​competition rules. However, this was denied by a source close to the EU, according to which no "surprises" came from Brussels. On Thursday, the BBC cited sources informed of the state of negotiations, according to which the agreement can be expected on Friday. This was also supported by the Irish Foreign Minister, who expressed optimism that the final document could be ready in the coming days. The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on 31 January, when a transitional period was launched to conclude the trade agreement. This should mitigate the economic impact of Brexit. The transitional period will end on 31 December. In late November, European Commission (EC) officials said the Brexit agreement was 95 percent ready. However, according to an EC internal document, disagreements persisted in three areas concerning fisheries, control and competition rules. Unless soon agreed, businesses on both sides of the English Channel will face tariffs and other trade barriers from 1 January.