Are Brexit trade negotiators closer to solving a slippery issue?
U.K. and European Union officials are zeroing in on a solution to break the eight-month deadlock over one of the biggest obstacles to their planned trade deal. I think it’s possible.” ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Beaune said he was “cautiously optimistic” of reaching a wider accord “in the coming days — or two weeks let’s say” that would balance the priorities of both sides. A U.K. government official declined to comment on the state of the negotiations with the EU, but added: “They need to reckon with the fact we will be an independent coastal state with control of our waters by the year’s end.” The potential solution shouldn’t be described as a complete breakthrough just yet, the people said — but it represents a significant step forward on an issue where the two sides have been diametrically opposed. They may pause later in the week so that the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier can update the bloc’s 27 governments, or to ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to intervene and resolve any outstanding disagreements. Internal Market Bill In a further boost to chances of a deal, officials on both sides are playing down the significance of the passing, on Oct. 31, of the deadline for the U.K. to respond to the EU’s decision to start legal action for breaching the terms of the country’s Brexit divorce deal.
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