U.K. and EU to Step Up Talks After Johnson-Von der Leyen Meeting

Britain and the European Union will step up the pace of their trade negotiations following talks between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aimed at breaking the deadlock over their future relationship.

Johnson will hold a call with von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and EU Parliament President David Sassoli on the afternoon of June 15, according to a tweet from Michel’s spokesman on Thursday. Five rounds of weekly trade negotiations will begin at the end of June.

“This new process will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings, both in London and Brussels assuming public health guidelines enable this,” a government spokesman said on Thursday.

The talks are a sign political leaders are preparing to inject momentum into the process after a fourth round of negotiations ended in stalemate last week. Johnson had previously threatened to walk away from the talks in June if it wasn’t clear that he was going to get an acceptable deal.

But the extension means businesses, already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, will face a longer wait for certainty over what Britain’s post-Brexit trade relationship with the EU will look like. The U.K. has repeatedly refused to extend the talks beyond the year-end, leaving open the threat the country could still leave the bloc with no trade deal in place.

Compromise Possible?

Britain is resisting the EU’s demands over fishing and rules designed at ensuring a level competitive playing field between the two sides—two preconditions Brussels has put on any deal. But after last week’s round of talks, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, hinted that a compromise may be possible over fishing and the level playing field.

European Union diplomats yesterday rebuffed U.K. calls to loosen Barnier’s mandate ahead of a meeting of EU leaders that starts on June 18. The bloc insists that any deal includes provisions covering fishing rights, fair competition and dispute settlement.

A memo circulated after the ambassadors’ meeting depicted a situation of “limited progress” in negotiations so far, accusing the U.K. of a “pick and choose” approach and calling for increased preparedness for a chaotic separation at the end of the year.

Earlier, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told lawmakers there has been “no movement” in the main areas of disagreement and reiterated the U.K.’s refusal to extend the post-Brexit transition period. The U.K. has until the end of June to request such an extension.