Britain and the European Union will hold emergency talks on Thursday over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to undercut parts of the Brexit divorce treaty, a step Brussels has warned could scupper any chance of a trade deal.
After Britain explicitly stated that it would act outside international law by breaching the divorce treaty, EU negotiators are trying to gauge how to deal with London after four years of tumultuous Brexit talks.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic will travel to London to meet British counterpart Michael Gove for the emergency talks alongside scheduled trade talks between chief negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost.
“The EU seeks clarifications from the UK on the full and timely implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement,” a European Commission spokesman said.
After the hectic twists and turns of the Brexit crisis, Europe’s leaders have been handed an ultimatum by Britain: accept the breach of the treaty or prepare for a messy divorce when Britain finally disentangles at the end of the year.
Ireland’s prime minister, Micheal Martin, has called on Britain to drop its plan to breach some parts of its European Union exit treaty, telling the Financial Times it was not clear now if British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted a new EU trade deal.
“I think the British government needs to move to restore trust and to give meaningful reassurance to the European negotiators,” Martin said in an interview with the newspaper.
“Our colleagues in Europe, in particular those conducting the negotiations, are now wondering whether the will is there or not to arrive at a conclusion and get an agreement — and that is a very serious issue.”
Britain formally left the EU on Jan. 31 but talks on a new trade deal before the end of a status-quo transition arrangement in December have snagged on state aid rules and fishing.
Without a clear trade agreement nearly $1 trillion in trade between the EU and Britain could be thrown into chaos at the beginning of the year, an economic hit neither side needs as they try to count the cost of the coronavirus crisis.
European diplomats said Britain was playing a game of Brexit chicken by threatening to collapse the process and challenging Brussels to blink first. Some fear Johnson may view a no-deal exit as useful distraction from the coronavirus crisis.
REUTERS