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Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), President of the European Commission
Photo: Virginia Mayo / dpa
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen still sees “major differences” between the two sides in the negotiations with Great Britain on a trade agreement after Brexit.
"Bridging this will be a great challenge," she said after a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The British government said it was "very likely" that no agreement could be reached unless Brussels changed its position "significantly".
Von der Leyen said that although there had been "substantial progress" on many issues, there were still major differences, particularly in the area of fishing.
Negotiations would continue on Friday.
The outcome of the talks between Brussels and London is also open shortly before the end.
Great Britain left the EU on February 1, but the country will remain in the EU internal market and the customs union until the end of the year.
In the meantime, the time for the timely ratification of an intended trade agreement is extremely short.
Without an agreement, tariffs would be levied in mutual trade at the turn of the year - with serious consequences for the economy.
The EU Parliament asked both sides to submit a text by midnight on Sunday at the latest.
Then the parliament is ready to schedule an extraordinary plenary session at the end of December to decide on its approval.
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svv / AFP