British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on British business on Friday to start preparations for a Brexit without agreement, also known as the No deal-Brexit. According to him, the European Union is refusing to negotiate seriously, and if that does not change, there will be no agreement, according to Johnson.
‘I have come to the conclusion that we need to move towards a regulation similar to the EU-Australia relationship,’ said Johnson. The EU does not have a free trade agreement with Australia, but several small agreements on specific issues. The Australian model is therefore in fact a no deal-Brexit. Johnson says he would have preferred an arrangement like the one between the EU and Canada, where there is free trade. ‘It is strange that, after 45 years of membership, the EU cannot offer us the conditions that Canada has been given’.
Johnson’s words must be seen as a threat. By setting things up, Johnson wants to force the EU to make concessions. On Thursday, the EU also called on the British to make concessions in the negotiations, something that fell into the wrong throat of the British.
The EU member states are currently meeting for a summit in Brussels, where they are briefed on the negotiations by chief negotiator Michel Barnier. German Chancellor Angela Merkel refused to respond to Johnson’s comments in the Belgian capital.
“We’re not going to negotiate through the media,” says Merkel Friday. However, shortly after Johnson’s press conference, It was announced that Barnier would travel to London on Monday for “intensified negotiations”.
Talks with the former EU country have been difficult for some time, to say the least. Brussels accuses London of wanting the benefits of the EU, but not the burdens. For example, the negotiations have been going on for a long time on issues such as fisheries, where the UK wants the same access to the European market but does not want to allow European fishermen into British waters, for example. The British think that the EU should be more flexible.
However, both sides continue to argue and wait for the other to break the deadlock. As a result, there are only more than two months left to reach an agreement. After that two and a half months, the transition period will end and the UK will definitely distance itself from the EU.
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