BRUSSELS – Negotiators have reached an agreement on a future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, officials from both sides said, although they remained far from a major hurdle: access for ships from the United Kingdom. EU in British waters.
With just over two weeks to go before a ratification of an agreement covering economic, trade and security agreements, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers that it is still impossible to say for sure whether an agreement is reached.
If no agreement was reached, tariffs would be applied for the first time in almost half a century to some trade between the United Kingdom and the EU from 1 January. The UK sends 43% of its exports to the bloc.
But in comments echoing the views of the people involved in the negotiations, Ms von der Leyen reviewed a number of issues in which the two sides have narrowed or resolved differences related to a central EU demand: that the The UK is committed to rules on issues such as state aid, labor and environmental regulation that will ensure fair competition once Britain leaves the bloc.
This includes progress in defining rules on UK state aid decisions and their implementation, and the EU’s ability to take punitive action if the agreement is breached.
Ms von der Leyen also said the two sides had agreed “a strong mechanism” to ensure the UK could not fall short of its current regulatory standards and cited progress in the governance of the agreement, including the thorny issue. question the extent to which one party may retaliate if the other breaches its terms.
However, Ms von der Leyen, who has been increasingly drawn to negotiations in recent weeks, warned that in terms of fisheries, divisions were still strong.
“We are not questioning the sovereignty of the UK over its own waters, but we are calling for predictability and stability for our fishermen and our fishermen,” he said. “And, in all honesty, sometimes it feels like we won’t be able to resolve that issue.”
The two sides’ positions on fishing have changed little since talks began in the spring.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, said last week that no British Prime Minister could accept an agreement that would leave the country without “sovereign control over its own fishing waters”.
The political importance of the issue diminishes its economic impact. The UK fishing industry was valued at around £ 750 million, equivalent to $ 1.01 million, in 2018, with around 6,000 vessels employing around 12,000 people. The EU fisheries sector had a gross value of € 4.3 billion in 2019, equivalent to $ 5.232 billion, of which € 550 million comes from British waters. For both economies, the sector is worth about 0.03% of gross domestic product.
However, in both the British and EU coastal states, control of historic fisheries is a politically galvanizing issue. The pro-Brexit side made fishing independence a central issue, with one of its key animators, Nigel Farage, leading a flotilla of fishing vessels along the River Thames in the last days of the Thames campaign. 2016 referendum. The coastal regions of northwestern France are a political battlefield for President Emmanuel Macron.
The images show long lines of trucks waiting to cross the English Channel before the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU single market on 1 January. Some companies have stored goods as new trade rules are still on the edge. Photo: Andy Rain / Shutterstock
The UK is seeking a comprehensive review of fishing ties with the EU, stating that any agreement must recognize the UK’s sovereignty over its waters and the ultimate right to block EU fishermen.
The UK has offered a short transition period to a new set of arrangements that would lead to a significant increase in the share of fish caught in UK waters by UK-controlled vessels. Currently, non-British vessels catch more than half of the fish in their waters. London wants the basic fishing size after the transition set out in the agreement and envisages annual negotiations setting out precise stakes for the UK and EU fisheries states, which include France, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands.
The EU has agreed that a post-Brexit deal would increase quotas for UK fishermen, but only expects a modest increase after a transition of up to a decade. He wants future quotas agreed in multi-year periods to provide certainty to the sector.
Macron has warned that French fishermen will not pay the price of Brexit and French officials have threatened to veto an agreement that would leave their fleet worse off.
Some officials doubt that differences in fisheries will eventually prevent an agreement.
Without an agreement, the fisheries sectors on both sides would face significant pain. British officials last week considered sending naval vessels to keep non-British vessels out of UK waters if there is no agreement. The EU, for its part, would be able to slash large tariffs on UK fish exports, which account for around 75% of fish caught by UK vessels.
Write to Laurence Norman to [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8