Brexit: Boris Johnson sees “big changes” in the UK

It's done: A tough break between Great Britain and the EU at the turn of the year was averted at the last minute.

There is a trade deal.

• After 

  Brexit

   , the 

  EU

   and 

  Great Britain

  agreed

   on a 

  trade

  agreement.

• Both sides have confirmed that.

• Solutions to

  the issues of

  fisheries

  and

  tariffs

  seem to have been found.

Update from December 27th, 2020, 10:50 am:

Before the vote on the

Brexit trade pact

with the EU, British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

wants

to convince the critics of his deal.

"It is now up to us to take advantage of the opportunities," Johnson told the Telegraph (Sunday).

Great changes are imminent for Great Britain in view of the final Brexit.

“Freedom is what you make of it,” the prime minister continued.

In areas such as animal welfare standards as well as rules for chemicals or data protection, the country will in future be independent of Brussels and must use this.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the beginning of a “new era” in the “Mail on Sunday”.

He wants to invest in the country's infrastructure and entrepreneurs should be rewarded for their courage.

+

Boris Johnson promotes "his" deal.

© Tolga Akmen / dpa

The British Parliament is due to vote on the Brexit trade pact on December 30th.

The British opposition leader Keir Starmer criticized: The agreement was "not the deal that the government promised," said the Labor politician.

However, he had previously announced that his party would vote for the trade pact in parliament - to avoid a chaotic no-deal Brexit.

The vote in the House of Commons would then be a matter of form.

The Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and fisheries associations also criticized the British negotiators for compromising too much on the subject of fish.

Brexit: UK and EU agree on trade deals

+++ 4:50 p.m.:

Chancellor

Angela Merkel

has recognized the agreement between the

EU and Great Britain

on a 

Brexit trade pact

as historic.

"With the agreement we are creating the basis for a new chapter in our relations," said the CDU politician on Thursday in Berlin.

"Great Britain will continue to be an important partner for Germany and the European Union outside of the European Union."

The agreement is "of historical importance".

Merkel agreed to check the text quickly.

The Federal Cabinet will agree on the German position by telephone next Monday.

"I am very confident that we have a good result here," said the Chancellor.

All member states and the EU Parliament must approve the agreement.

British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

said in a press conference that the UK has regained control of its money, borders, laws, trade and waters.

The British Parliament is due to vote on the Brexit trade pact between the UK and the EU on December 30th.

Breakthrough in Brexit negotiations: EU and Great Britain agree on trade agreements

+++ 4.14 p.m.:

A Christmas

miracle

has happened:

Great Britain

and the

EU

have agreed on a

Brexit trade

agreement.

The two sides confirmed this on Thursday afternoon.

EU Commission chief

Ursula von der Leyen

wrote on Twitter: “It was worth fighting for this deal.

We now have a fair and balanced agreement with the UK.

It will protect our EU interests, ensure fair competition and provide predictability for our fishermen.

Europe is now moving on, ”said von der Leyen.

With the agreement on a

Brexit trade agreement

between

Great Britain

and the

EU

, a hard economic break seems to have been averted at the turn of the year.

The trade agreement is intended to regulate economic relations between the island and the continent from January 2021.

The most important point is to avoid tariffs and ensure the smoothest possible trade.

The contract also includes fishing and cooperation on energy, transport, justice, police and many other topics.

The representatives of both sides want to comment on the details of the contract.

The deal is done.

pic.twitter.com/zzhvxOSeWz

- Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 24, 2020

+++ 09.35 a.m.:

The

EU

and

Great Britain

have been

negotiating

the conclusion of a

trade agreement

after 

Brexit 

all night

.

As it was said on Thursday morning from EU circles, the talks were not yet over.

If all goes well, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and

British

Prime Minister Boris Johnson

would be on the phone shortly.

Press conferences are then possible around 9 a.m.

From the other side it was said that it could take longer.

Brexit trade pact: agreement is imminent - delays in the final phase

Update from Thursday, December 24th, 2020, 7.15 a.m.:

After a far-

reaching

agreement on key points of a 

Brexit trade pact

, experts from the European Union and Great Britain continued to work on details on Thursday night.

The work will continue all night, wrote the spokesman for the

EU Commission

, Eric Mamer, on Twitter.

The BBC reported that a press conference was planned for early Thursday morning (8 a.m. CET).

The comprehensive trade agreement is designed to avoid a severe economic break at the last minute.

The

Brexit transition phase will

end on December 31, 

and Great Britain will leave the EU internal market and the customs union.

Without an agreement there is a risk of tariffs and trade barriers.

#brexit work will continue throughout the night.

Grabbing some sleep is recommended to all brexit watchers at this point.

It will hopefully be an early start tomorrow morning ...

- Eric Mamer (@MamerEric) December 24, 2020

In the end, the biggest points of contention were the EU demand for fair competition between the contracting parties - an agreement in principle was announced on Wednesday afternoon - and the access rights for EU fishermen to British waters.

The contract was almost ready, it said early Thursday morning from EU circles.

Brexit trade pact: agreement could be imminent

+++ 10:36 p.m.:

There is still no agreement in the

Brexit dispute

.

Several media had reported that the end of the

negotiations

was imminent.

In the final phase, however, it stagnates.

The talks were not yet over, it was said on Wednesday evening (23.12.2020) from EU circles, as the AFP news agency reported.

+

Ursula von der Leyen (r), President of the European Commission, and Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Great Britain, come together for their meeting.

Photo: --- / XinHua / dpa

© ---

According to a diplomat, the EU member states checked whether

the compromise proposal contained

all the necessary guarantees from the

British side

.

When it came to the controversial issue of

future fishing rights

, however, the British had made "enormous concessions", as French government circles say.

They are particularly important to coastal countries like France.

Brexit trade pact: agreement could be imminent

+++ 4:55 pm:

Will it be a Christmas miracle?

Several media reports that an agreement in the

Brexit dispute is

within reach.

The Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin was confident about the editorial network in Germany.

A deal is "more likely than unlikely".

Sky reports on the conclusion of the Brexit negotiations

The broadcaster Sky reported, however, that the EU and Great Britain had already agreed on an agreement.

According to the Reuters news agency, however, this statement was denied by British government circles.

Nevertheless, the agreement seems to be within reach, as reported by ZDF.

Huge activity in the EU Commission (left) and the British EU representation (right).

# Brexit deal within reach.

🇬🇧🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/jNZ7wh34ue

- Stefan Leifert (@StefanLeifert) December 23, 2020

The biggest remaining point of contention in the struggle for the

Brexit agreement

remains the problem with the rights of EU fishermen in British waters, as

Micheál Martin

admitted to the RND.

Trade deal: UK health service asks for a respite

The

UK Health Service (NHS)

sees yet another problem: the corona pandemic.

Necessary medication and equipment would have to be

transported

to

Great Britain

, a

no-deal Brexit

could mean "disruptive changes" such as traffic jams at the border.

That is why they are calling for the Brexit transition phase to be extended by one month. This postponement gives the NHS enough time to get out of the "immediate danger zone".

According to a government official, the

UK

does not want to extend the deadline.

+

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin gives hope that the Brexit agreement will be ready.

© Julien Behal / dpa

The right to stay for EU citizens has also not yet been fully clarified.

Hundreds of thousands had to apply in the UK to stay after Brexit.

According to observers, this has not yet happened in tens of thousands of cases.

Brexit deal: no agreement on trade agreement between the EU and Great Britain yet

Update from Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020, 3:30 p.m.:

Will

Brexit be

a Christmas

deal

?

The tug-of-war over a

trade pact between Great Britain and the EU

is not decided even shortly before the holidays.

At least, however, EU Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen

and Great Britain Prime Minister

Boris Johnson are

in constant contact in order to conclude a trade agreement at the last minute.

After a first phone call between the two of them on Monday evening (December 21, 2020), the regular top-level discussions were continued, as the AFP news agency learned from EU circles.

Indeed, London and Brussels hope to come to an agreement today or tomorrow.

The EU Parliament had already announced that it would

only be able to

ratify

an agreement reached in the next few days, if at all, in retrospect.

From EU circles it was said that an agreement was needed by Christmas for a provisional application.

This is conceivable, "but as always, nothing is certain".

Negotiations could continue after Christmas.

In any case, the Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin was confident: A deal was "more likely than unlikely," said Martin.

The future

rights of EU fishermen in British waters are still

a key issue.

This problem is difficult to overcome, Martin admitted.

In detail, it concerns reductions in the permitted catches in Great Britain's waters for EU fishermen and the length of a transition period for their introduction.

The fact that there is still no trade agreement in place causes a lot of criticism.

"The madness continues,"

said SPD Brexit expert Bernd Lange of the German Press Agency in Brussels.

"It is unacceptable that citizens and companies do not know what to do next a few days before January 1st, and that in a situation that is worsening due to the corona pandemic." optimistic one.

"There will be a period, starting Jan. 1, where if there is a deal, this deal is not really ratified by the parliament"

MEP Bernd Lange says it is now too late for the European Parliament to scrutinize any Brexit trade agreement before the end of the year https://t.co/rL0lfHxxAr pic.twitter.com/iEyjBZ6Jts

- Bloomberg Brexit (@Brexit) December 21, 2020

Negotiations about the Brexit agreement: The fear of a “no deal Brexit” remains

+++ 7:20 p.m.:

A new proposal gave hope: The former British government advisor Raoul Ruparel wrote in the news portal “Politico” about another possibility of

finding

an agreement in the dispute between the

EU

and

Great Britain

.

After the

negotiations

on the conditions of competition, control options of an

agreement

and access for

EU fishermen

in British waters

recently

stagnated, the new suggestion gave momentum to the search for a compromise.

Specifically, the proposal dealt with the controversial fishing rights of the

EU fishing trawlers

.

The rights could be gradually reduced over five years - to a total of 35 percent.

The British should continue to have the opportunity to sell their fish duty-free on the

European markets

.

However, if the British

continue to restrict

access for fishermen from the

EU

,

Brussels has

the option of introducing tariffs

, according to the proposal

.

According to the "Financial Times", there is also said to have been a similar offer from

London

.

+

At the British ports (here in front of Dover) the trucks have been jammed for weeks.

© Gareth Fuller / dpa

However, the proposal did not lead to an agreement.

According to chief negotiator

Michel Barnier

, the

EU is

ready

to search for

a compromise on a

trade agreement

with

London

“until the last second”

.

"Our door will remain open until the end of the year and beyond," said Barnier on Tuesday, according to sources in agreement with the dpa.

By the end remains

the UK

in the single market and the customs union of the

EU

, so far has an

agreement

are.

Otherwise the

“no deal Brexit” could become a

reality.

Then, among other things, tariffs would be

introduced

at the borders with

Great Britain

.

Brexit: Movement in the dispute over fisheries - but not yet a breakthrough

+++ 4:55 p.m

.:

There is movement

in the tough negotiations on a

Brexit trade pact between

the European Union and Great Britain.

This applies to the particularly controversial issue of EU fishermen's access to British waters, the German press agency learned from negotiating circles.

However, speculations about an imminent breakthrough are premature.

"We are now really at a crucial point and we are making one last effort," said EU negotiator

Michel Barnier

before an briefing for the EU countries on Tuesday afternoon.

"In ten days the United Kingdom will leave the internal market." He will continue to work and keep the EU countries and the European Parliament up to date.

Double chaos in Great Britain: Boris Johnson spreads optimism despite Corona and Brexit

Update from Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020, 10.55 a.m.: Great Britain

is currently fighting on two fronts.

The new coronavirus variant hits the country at a time when it is also dealing with another challenge of the century.

The pandemic

and

Brexit

mean that uncertainty in Great Britain is currently very high.

Boris Johnson

remains an optimist.

The Prime Minister never tires of stressing that the British economy will "flourish" outside the EU.

The prognoses of the supervisory authority speak a different language: In its current prognosis it assumes

7.5 percent unemployment in Great Britain by the

middle of the coming year - provided fast vaccinations herald the beginning of the end of the Corona era.

In the event of a

no-deal Brexit

, the forecast was even more than 8 percent.

The unemployment rate is currently just under five percent, at the beginning of the pandemic it was still under four percent.

With 10,000s of UK jobs on the line, Boris Johnson & Grant Shapps were asked whether there would be a Brexit Deal.

They laughed.

Johnson kept smirking while answering.

Dont forget: Even if there's a deal, jobs will still go.

So the laughing ... That's not confidence.

That's evil.

pic.twitter.com/gtUG1PUqsA

- Femi😷 (@Femi_Sorry) December 21, 2020

Solution to the Brexit dispute in sight?

Breakthrough in fishing rights is expected

But maybe there will be a solution to the

Brexit dispute

after all

.

At least one and a half weeks before the

end of the Brexit transition

phase, speculation is growing about an imminent breakthrough in the question of future access for EU fishing trawlers to British waters.

A

last-minute Brexit trade pact

no longer seems to be ruled out.

Allegedly, the

fishing rights of the EU fishing trawlers

are to be gradually reduced by 35 percent over a period of five years.

The British will still have the option of

bringing

their

fish

to the European market duty-free.

This is to be accompanied by the possibility for Brussels to introduce tariffs in the event that the British further restrict access for fishermen from the EU - but only at an independently determined level.

Brexit talks: The "no deal scenario" threatens from January 1st

According to the "Financial Times", EU circles confirmed that there had been a similar offer from London.

On the British side, however, according to the newspaper, the positions were still “far apart” and the talks were “brutally complicated”.

Negotiators on both sides wanted to continue the recently stalled

Brexit talks

, as both sides said.

Failure to reach an agreement threatens a

“no-deal” scenario

, with tariffs and other trade barriers at the UK's borders from January 1st.

Cut travel connections between Great Britain and the rest of Europe due to the fear of the spread of the mutated variant of the coronavirus, which has so far mainly been found in southern England, are already providing a foretaste of this.

According to

Prime Minister 

Boris Johnson

, the movement of goods should resume as soon as possible.

However, he did not give a date.

+

Boris Johnson is still optimistic.

© afp / TOLGA AKMEN

Brexit: EU Parliament considers legal confirmation of a possible deal no longer feasible

Update from Monday, December 21, 2020, 4:14 p.m.:

Ten days before the end of the 

Brexit

transition period, a disorderly exit of

Great Britain

from the European single market is becoming more and more likely.

The negotiators on both sides continued their talks on a

trade agreement

in Brussels on Monday (December 21, 2020)

, but the EU Parliament declared that the timely

ratification of

a possible deal was no longer feasible.

Time is also running out for the provisional application of a possible agreement.

Political games from Westminster have wasted too much time.

It is now impossible for Parliament to assess a deal before the end of the year.

We will not rubber-stamp any text, it is too important.

As the only directly elected EU body, we should not rush our decision.

#Brexit

- Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) December 21, 2020

A

deadline

set by the EU Parliament

for a finished text expired on

Sunday evening

.

"It is now impossible for parliament to evaluate a deal before the end of the year," said the head of the Conservatives, Manfred Weber (CSU).

There will be no more

ratification

within the transition phase, emphasized the chairman of the trade committee, Bernd Lange (SPD).

Should an agreement be reached in the coming days, it could possibly come into force provisionally and only be ratified afterwards.

However, time is running out for this too: EU circles said that a provisional application of an agreement from January 1st would only be feasible if

an agreement

was

reached by Christmas

.

Brexit: Provisional agreement is considered likely

Even for a provisional entry into force of an agreement, a few days are

necessary

for

legal examinations

and translations.

Despite everything, this preliminary application is now classified as the most likely scenario, at least in the EU Parliament, according to information from the AFP news agency.

A renewed

extension of the transition period

would be "the best," said the SPD politician Lange.

But this is considered highly unlikely.

Great Britain ruled out any postponement in the summer after 

Brexit

 had been delayed several times by months.

+

A spokesman in the Netherlands in a parking lot that is considered a parking space for truck drivers after the Brexit transition period.

© Peter Dejong / dpa

Brexit: No deal “because of fish” the most likely outcome

+++ 9.30 p.m.:

In the talks about a

Brexit trade pact

between

Great Britain

and the

EU

, a breakthrough is still a long way off.

"The negotiations remain difficult, and there are still clear differences," said British government circles in the evening.

Negotiations are expected to continue this Monday.

"We continue to examine every way to an agreement" - but this must be in accordance with British principles, it said.

Especially

fishing rights

are central to the debate, but also

a level playing field

are a sticking point.

The

European Parliament

had set a final deadline until late in the evening.

By then, a completed commercial contract must be available, because otherwise the MPs would not have enough time to examine.

In London, however, it was said that the only deadline was December 31st.

Struggle for Brexit trade pact: Hancock expects movement from the EU

Update from Sunday, December 20th, 2020, 12.30 p.m.:

The ping-pong game continues on Sunday (December 20th, 2020).

British Health

Secretary Matt Hancock

said on Sky News on Sunday that he was sure an agreement could be reached with the EU.

It is now up to the EU to "get things moving" because they have made "unreasonable demands", added Hancock. 

+

At the British ports (here in front of Dover) the trucks have been jammed for weeks.

© Gareth Fuller / dpa

Brexit: No deal “because of fish” the most likely outcome

+++ 9:55 p.m.:

According to diplomatic

information, the

EU has now made a final offer on the fisheries issue to Great Britain.

British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson will

ultimately have to decide on this.

If Britain rejects the offer, "we get a no deal on fish," said a diplomat.

+++ 7:55 p.m.:

In their negotiations on a Brexit trade pact, Great Britain and the EU are still clearly apart.

"The most likely result" is currently a no deal, it was said on Saturday evening from negotiating circles.

"We will turn every stone to bring about a deal." But there are still "significant open questions" about fishing and subsidies.

"The negotiations continue, but we are still far apart."

Brexit renegotiations: "Sunday is finally a shift in the shaft"

First report from December 19, 2020:

London - There are still 12 days until the end of the

Brexit

transition

phase, i.e.

until Britain's economic break with the EU after almost half a century.

In a “last attempt”

on Friday (December 18, 2020)

the

European Union

and

Great Britain

tried

to get

a

Brexit trade pact

through.

Post-Brexit negotiations: the “moment of truth” is drawing closer

"We are at the moment of truth," said EU negotiator

Michel Barnier

in the European Parliament.

There were only “a few hours” left for talks if a trade agreement were to come into force on January 1st.

The desired agreement should avoid tariffs and cushion the consequences for the economy, authorities and citizens.

Alone: ​​Barnier was still unable to say on Friday whether it would ever come about.

There is a chance, but the path to get there is very narrow.

Incidentally, Barnier's spokesman Dan Ferrie did not want to say what “a few hours”

mean

in the

Brexit

negotiations and whether the negotiators could really be ready by Sunday.

Negotiations are in progress, he just said.

The British Minister of State Michael Gove had already indicated on Thursday that this could continue until after Christmas - regardless of protests from the European Parliament.

It was not the first time in the now excruciatingly long negotiations between

Great Britain

and the

EU

about

Britain's exit from

the

EU

that Barnier invoked time constraints and urgency.

He's been doing this for months.

In the meantime, however, it is not just the calendar that suggests that things are getting really serious.

The EU's patience has long expired, as the MEPs made clear in the debate.

“Sunday is the final shift in the shaft,” said SPD

Brexit

expert Bernd Lange.

Parliament set the final deadline on Sunday, midnight: either a treaty has been in place by then or it can no longer be ratified in time.

Then come plan B, said Lange.

Post-Brexit negotiations: the "no-deal Brexit" threatens

There are different variants of this plan: Negotiations are continued and, in the event of a breakthrough, a provisional agreement is put into effect before the end of the year, i.e. initially without ratification.

Or you can agree on a period of a few weeks during which the status quo will continue to apply after January 1st, according to a proposal by Green Group leader Philippe Lamberts.

If this does not happen either, there would only be a hard break without a contract, the “

no-deal Brexit

”.

British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson now

sees the end of the negotiations, but remains tough on the matter.

"Our door is open," said Johnson on a visit to Bolton, northwest England.

“We will continue to talk, but I have to say that things look difficult.” The EU must “accept reason and come to the table with something itself”.

Now it is Brussels' turn.

"We hope that our EU friends will come to their senses and put something on the negotiating table of their own accord," said Johnson.

Post-Brexit negotiations: the crux of the matter is fishing rights in British waters

The main points of contention for months have been fair competition, the control of a future agreement and fishing rights for EU fishermen in British waters.

While there has been significant progress recently on the first two sticking points, the fisheries question remained difficult.

In this final stretch of talks, transparency & unity are important as ever: Debriefed @Europarl_EN Conference of Presidents this morning on 🇪🇺🇬🇧 negotiations.

Good progress, but last stumbling blocks remain.

We will only sign a deal protecting EU interests & principles.

pic.twitter.com/L25PWCKYAG

- Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 17, 2020

With reference to its sovereignty as a coastal state,

Great Britain is

calling for EU fishermen to be able to withdraw access to their waters that may have been promised at this point in time, said Barnier.

"The EU must then also have its sovereign right to be able to react" - for example by restricting British companies' access to the European internal market.

Brexit: Already now chaos at the British ports

The kilometer-long truck traffic jams at the British entrance to the Eurotunnel under the English Channel meanwhile give

a

foretaste of

a

no-deal

Brexit

.

The reasons for the increased freight volume are the Christmas business and the need for medical goods in the

coronavirus pandemic

, but also the increase in many warehouses before the end of the Brexit transition phase, explained the Eurotunnel operator Getlink at the request of the news agency dpa.

British ports have also been overloaded for weeks.

It looks like a lot of people are still taking their chance - who knows what's in two weeks.

From a London perspective, the

UK

has

already made concessions on the two most difficult areas: fair competition and fishing rights for EU fishermen in British waters.

Barnier said on Friday quite clearly what it still depends on.

(skr with agencies)

List of rubric lists: © Tolga Akmen / dpa