Union diplomats have called on Barnier not to be pressured into a bad deal with Britain

Union diplomats have called on Barnier not to be pressured into a bad deal with Britain

The ambassadors of the member states of the European Union called on the chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, not to be pressured into a bad trade agreement with Britain, as the time for negotiations is running short. Barnier informed the ambassadors through a video conference from London, where negotiations are continuing, that talks with British representatives are still stalled. Both parties are failing to achieve a breakthrough on key issues such as fisheries, fair competition rules and the dispute settlement mechanism. "The agreement is still hanging in the balance," said an unnamed diplomat who attended the briefing. The free trade agreement must be completed by 1 January, when the rules of the Union's internal market and customs union cease to apply to Britain. But with the deadline approaching, the probability of so-called hard, uncontrolled Brexit without agreement increases.

Some Member States are a little nervous

Another senior diplomat said that several of the 27 Member States would have preferred negotiations to continue after the end of the transitional period on 31 December, even if this meant a short period of "no agreement". Another diplomat said there were fears in the Union that time pressure would not force negotiators to reach an unsatisfactory agreement. "We told him (Barnier): don't do it," he said. Britain has repeatedly warned that it will not agree to extend the transitional period beyond 31 December so that negotiations can continue and trade continues as it has so far. A third diplomat said that although intense talks were continuing in London this week, it was still unclear whether the negotiators could overcome differences of opinion on the three points of contention. "As we approach the end of the Brexit negotiations, some Member States are a little nervous," the diplomat said after the ambassadors' meeting with Barnier.