The endless saga of Brexit. EU Union Ministers formally adopted Tuesday morning in Brussels the mandate which sets the framework for discussions with the United Kingdom. And, at the same time, London announced at the beginning of the afternoon that its mandate was also ready. It will be revealed on Thursday. The first round of negotiations between the two parties will start on Monday in Brussels and are scheduled to last until Thursday. After which a second round of discussions will take place in March in London. And so on. The two parties have only a few months to find an agreement on the "base" of their future relations, including fishing and the "ambitious" trade agreement which Brussels has made its priorities.
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In light of what we know of the British positions, these discussions could start on a very bad footing early next week. "These will be complex, demanding, very difficult negotiations," admitted Michel Barnier on Tuesday during a press conference devoted to the mandate entrusted to him by the Twenty-Seven. London is indeed moving further and further away from the obligations provided for in the withdrawal agreement and from the provisions included in the political declaration on the future relationship, two documents yet signed at the end of 2019 by Boris Johnson. The protocol on Northern Ireland establishes a customs and health control between Great Britain and the island of Ireland in order to avoid the return to a border say between the two Ireland. But the British seem to no longer want to hear about it. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Monday that the ports of Northern Ireland - hence the territory of the United Kingdom - were not ready to carry out checks on goods from Great Britain.
Remind Boris Johnson of European priorities
The same concerns about the level playing field written in black and white in the political declaration as the basis of any trade agreement. London keeps repeating that the British did not choose Brexit to be forced in the end to comply with rules imposed by the European Union.
While stating that there was no question of him losing his "calm", Michel Barnier warned London on Tuesday. "Everything that has been decided with the British must be respected," he said, calling for "respect" and "good faith" on both sides in the upcoming negotiations. He also took the opportunity to remind Boris Johnson of the priorities of Europeans. "The prosecution is inseparable (...) The trade agreement will be subject to fishing and a level playing field or there will be no agreement at all," warned the French.
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In the negotiating mandate, the 27 call for a free trade agreement without tariff, without quota and without dumping. The United Kingdom will therefore have to remain aligned with European environmental, labor law and state aid standards. And the EU reserves the right to apply tariffs if the British stray too far from European standards.
Indeed, Europeans believe that it is not possible to offer the British an agreement modeled on that which was made with Canada for which London is arguing. This is due to the geographic proximity between the United Kingdom and the EU. "The distance between Calais and Dover is 34 kilometers," recalled Michel Barnier, inviting the British to "not backtrack when it is time to move forward".