The official representative of the European Union in negotiations with the UK on Brexit Michel Barnier said that the EU is interested in maintaining close trade relations with the UK. Barnier said this on Monday, February 3, in Brussels, reports the UNN with reference to the DW.
According to Barnier, the EU is ready to offer the British close trade relations, but it will happen only under certain conditions.
“We are ready to offer a very ambitious trade agreement as a cornerstone of this partnership, which also contains a paragraph on zero import duty rates”, – Barnier assured, quoted by AFP news agency.
At the same time, he warned London that Brussels would not accept “unfair conditions for competition. “We need to agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure equal competitive conditions”, – he stressed.
The EU representative also pointed out the importance for Brussels to settle the fishing issue. The point is that British fishermen prefer not to allow European competitors into their waters, while they want the EU to remain their main market in the future.
Barnier noted that an important element in maintaining close trade relations will remain “the high standards that we now and will continue to have in the future in social protection, environmental protection, tax and subsidies.
Earlier, the media reported on the plans of Boris Johnson’s government to abandon compliance with EU standards in several areas.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also warned about the consequences of the British government’s refusal to comply with EU standards. If it really comes to this, then the UK should not count on unrestricted access to the internal market of the European Union. “The closer the UK stays, the easier access to the domestic market will be”, – von der Leyen said.
We remind that Great Britain left the EU on the night of Saturday, February 1. During the transition period, which will last until the end of 2020, there will be no significant changes in normal life of the country’s residents due to this step. During this time, however, the parties need to agree on further relations, particularly in the area of bilateral trade.
Brussels is seeking a trade agreement with London based on equal competition (Level Playing Field) and the principle of “no duties, no quotas, no dumping”. Besides fishing, security and access to databases should be key issues in the negotiations.
In theory, Boris Johnson may ask Brussels to extend the transition period after Brexit for another two years until the end of July 2020, but the head of the British government has already said he does not intend to do so.