UK Gove says EU trade deal can be reached despite failed talks By Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s chief minister Michael Gove said on Sunday that there was a post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union, provided the bloc agreed to a compromise, a few days after the two sides said talks were progressing a bit.

The UK left the EU on January 31, but the main terms of its membership remain in effect for a transitional period until the end of this year to give it time to negotiate a deal. free exchange.

On Friday, key British and European negotiators gave a negative assessment of the last round of negotiations, saying that the other party must give way if progress is to be made.

The impasse has raised the possibility of not reaching an agreement, a scenario that would hurt global trade as the world faces the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, investor concerns over the state of trade negotiations returned the pound to its lowest level in over a month.

The main point of contention in the talks was the so-called “level playing field” to guarantee fair competition. The EU says they are essential to ensure that Britain does not undermine its standards, but Britain rejects them for having linked them to European law.

Gove, the British cabinet minister, said that and issues such as future fishing rights remain hot spots.

"We are making it clear to the EU that we cannot reach an agreement on these terms," ​​he told Sky News. "But I am sure there is an agreement to be reached. It just requires a certain degree of flexibility on the part of the EU that I am sure they will understand that they have to to show."

However, in a demonstration of the impending obstacles, Irish Chancellor Simon Coveney, who played a key role in the EU's exit talks from Britain due to the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland He said that Britain should evolve on an equal footing. difficulty breaking the deadlock.

He told Irish national TV station RTE on Sunday that Britain was "essentially rewriting" what had been compromised in the Brexit political declaration.

"Until the UK changes its approach in the context of assuring the EU that it will not effectively deregulate its economy while waiting for free access to the EU's single market EU, I think we will continue to have real difficulties in these talks, "he added. .

The British newspaper Mail reported on Sunday that the government was going to withdraw completely if it did not go ahead in the next round of negotiations which would start in 15 days and if the EU was not moving.

"The collapse is entirely possible," an unidentified government source told the newspaper.

The Sunday Times said an uncompromising planning committee, chaired by Gove, would now meet regularly and officials who had been dispatched to help fight the COVID-19 epidemic were in the process of transfer to plan for this eventuality.