The greatest confusion still reigned Friday afternoon between London and Brussels, less than two weeks from the end of the transition period which will see the United Kingdom stand on its own two feet.
"
If we achieve something, it will be Saturday, but it is not certain,"
said a relative of the negotiations in Brussels.
“
The British are driving us around.
They still have not made a choice,
”annoys another.
As he has done for years, the indefatigable Michel Barnier visited the European Parliament early in the morning to take stock of the situation.
The tone used did not invite optimism.
“
As I speak to you, very sincerely, I cannot tell you what will be the outcome of this final straight line of negotiations.
», Admitted the chief negotiator of the EU.
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Brexit: a narrow road to an agreement
While many blockages have been lifted, difficulties still remain on fair competition - state aid, rules of origin, etc.
- but above all on fishing and access to British waters.
London and Brussels must agree on the reduction in the volumes fished, as well as on the duration of the transition period during which these quotas would apply.
London proposes that the Union give up 60% of the 650 million euros drawn from British waters and wants a renegotiation in three years.
The EU plans to release only 15 to 18% of current volumes, and this for a much longer period of 8 to 10 years.
Suffice to say that the positions were very far apart and compromise beyond reach at this stage.
"
We are not sure of achieving this if everyone does not make a real and concrete effort to find a compromise
", stressed Michel Barnier on Friday morning, before meeting with the eight "fishing" states of the EU, including France.
Its objective is to get these countries to accept a drop of around 20% in the volumes fished in British waters.
Without result at this stage.
What about the duration of the transition?
“
All the parameters are linked
,” indicates a European source.
We can imagine moving the sliders on the volumes of abandoned peaches in the United Kingdom if London considers, for its part, a longer transition.
In reality, the numbers alone don't mean much.
It is the overall balance that must be looked at
”.
We have done a lot and we hope our friends from the EU will come to the table with something
Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister
A balance that will be scrutinized by Emmanuel Macron who, from the residence of the Lantern where he retired, indicated that he continued to closely follow the negotiations.
If Brussels wants to get the “fishing countries” to soften their positions, there is however one area on which there is no question of compromising: the link between access to British waters and access to the internal market.
"
If the UK wants, after a period of credible and sufficient adjustment, to be able to cut off access to these waters for European fishermen at any time, the EU must also have a sovereign right to react or to compensate, by then adjusting the conditions of access to its market for all products and in particular fishing products
, ”warned Michel Barnier.
On the other side of the Channel, the atmosphere seems just as gloomy.
Boris Johnson on Friday judged the negotiations "
difficult
" with still a significant "
gap to be filled
".
Tactical pessimism or real perception of things?
Once again, the British Prime Minister has made it known that he expects concessions from the Europeans.
“
We have done a lot and we hope our friends in the EU will come to the table with something,
” he said.
Speaking from Manchester, the Prime Minister called on the EU to "
recognize that the UK must be able to control its own laws - that's what people have voted for - and to control its waters and its waters. fishing rights
”.
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Brexit: "Our door is open" but the negotiations are "difficult", warns Boris Johnson
To further increase the pressure on the EU, Downing Street has asserted that if it fails by the end of the year, the UK will not return to the negotiating table and place its trade under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, at least “
for the foreseeable future
”.
Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer accused the government of "
procrastinating on Brexit
", urging the Prime Minister to "
make this deal
" and "
give it to the British people
".
A way to take a date, to demand accountability if an exit without an agreement turns into economic disaster.
In this fog, the only certainty was that Big Ben, under construction, would come out of his silence to greet the break between the kingdom and Europe. The House of Commons has confirmed that the famous bell will ring on December 31 at 11 p.m., i.e. midnight Brussels time ...