After ten months of harassing negotiations, the European Union and the United Kingdom on Thursday concluded a historic agreement on their future trade relationship, which will allow them to avoid in extremis a "no deal" devastating for their economies at the end of the year .
Two European sources confirmed that the negotiators of the two camps, launched since Wednesday in final negotiations, had found common ground.
"A deal is done," a UK government source said.
The negotiations were since Monday in the hands of Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who have exchanged several times to try to break the deadlock on fishing, the ultimate sticking point of the discussions.
Fishing areas
Despite its low economic weight, the fishing sector is of political and social importance for several Member States, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland.
But the British want to regain control of their waters and have made it the symbol of their regained sovereignty after the divorce.
Negotiations focused on sharing the some 650 million euros of products caught each year by the EU in British waters and on the length of the adjustment period for European fishermen.
The Europeans proposed to give up 25% of that amount over a six-year period, according to a European source.
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In their latest offer, the British would accept this percentage, after a transition period of five and a half years, followed by an annual renegotiation of the rules of reciprocal access to fishing grounds, according to a source close to the negotiations. .
The agreement between the European Commission and the United Kingdom will still have to be validated by the member states, a process which should take several days.
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