With Britain’s other trade talks seeing delays and setbacks, Brussels thinks it has the upper hand, but a breakthrough isn’t imminent
Brussels is in no rush to compromise on a post-Brexit deal — even
though time is quickly running out to agree one — because it believes
"Global Britain" is delayed on the runway.
"The U.K. desperately needs this deal," said an EU official closely
involved in the talks ahead of this week's round. "If the clock is
ticking, reality will start to sink in in London. The U.K. might not
always have behaved rationally in its negotiations with Brussels, but
surely the pandemic and the lack of trade alternatives must lead to some
reason in London."
In the last couple of weeks, the U.K. has experienced a series of
delays and setbacks in its other trade negotiations, which it had hoped
would put pressure on Brussels to compromise on some of its red lines.
Britain and Japan were unable to announce a new trade deal
at the beginning of August as planned, despite intense, high-level
political engagement. That deal with Japan will be the first step for
London to get into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) pact.
The deputy prime minister of New Zealand, another CPTPP member country that the U.K. is engaged in bilateral talks with, indicated British negotiators were rusty and unprepared for negotiations, yet attempting to play in the big leagues.
"The EU doesn't have a great record in understanding motivations in London" — David Henig, U.K. director of the European Centre For International Political Economy
more at POLITICO
© POLITICO
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article