EU's Michel Barnier warns 'very serious divergences remain' in Brexit trade talks amid claims negotiations will 'run for another fortnight' as coronavirus surge in UK and Brussels disrupts progress
Britain and the EU remain some distance apart over a post-Brexit trade deal with time running out to agree one before the end of the year, Brussels' chief negotiator warned tonight.
Michel Barnier said there were 'very serious divergences' between the two sides after briefing EU27 ambassadors on the progress of talks with Lord Frost and the British team.
The sticking points remain the same - fishing rights and state aid - and Mr Barnier tweeted that 'These are essential conditions for any economic partnership'.
Senior EU diplomats said Intensified Brexit negotiations with Britain in recent days have yielded only moderate progress.
One told Reuters Mr Barnier gave no timeline for an agreement or even any certainty that a trade deal between the 27-nation EU and Britain would be clinched by a mid-November deadline.
'He gave no timeline and he was rather uncertain about a deal,' the diplomat said.
It is now two weeks since formal trade discussions resumed between the two sides after a tense standoff.
But disputes over post-Brexit fishing rights and the so-called 'level playing field' on rules to ensure fair competition are still blocking a deal.
Talks are due to continue next week. Lord Frost tonight tweeted: 'Progress made, but I agree with Michel Barnier that wide divergences remain on some core issues. We continue to work to find solutions that fully respect UK sovereignty.'
Michel Barnier today discussed the state of EU-UK trade negotiations with the bloc's ambassadors and is expected to recommend talks continue
Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, and Mr Barnier reportedly believe a deal is still possible and want a fresh round of discussions to begin in London this weekend
Meanwhile, the spread of coronavirus is complicating the talks amid fears that an outbreak of the disease among negotiators could derail the whole process.
The latest round of discussions has been taking place in Brussels which has the highest rate of Covid-19 infections in Europe.
Mr Barnier this afternoon said that talks between both sides on even a rudimentary deal still faced too many challenges to yield a result anytime soon.
'At this stage, there are still too many difficulties remaining on important topics,' he told reporters as he went to brief the envoys of the 27 member states.
But he insisted though that the bloc wasn't ready to give up.
'We are working intensively and will continue working to find solutions,' he said.
Lord Frost is expected to brief Boris Johnson on the state of the talks today while Mr Barnier will do the same with EU ambassadors.
Both men will recommend negotiations continue because they believe a deal is still possible, according to The Times.
The plan is for a new round of talks to get underway in London at the weekend.
A UK government source said progress had been made in recent weeks but 'there is still a large amount of work to do' and 'the biggest problem we have is time'.
Time is now running out for the two sides to agree and implement a trade accord before the end of the post-Brexit transition period in December.
Ratifying the deal could take the EU as long as six weeks which means an agreement will likely need to be in place by the middle of November if it is to be rolled out for the start of 2021.
The prospect of talks continuing came after Downing Street snubbed a legal threat from Brussels over Mr Johnson's plans to tear up parts of the Brexit divorce deal.
The EU started legal proceedings against the UK at the start of October and gave Mr Johnson one month to formally respond.
But Number 10 yesterday confirmed it had not bothered to send a reply to the bloc, prompting the EU to warn it will now consider escalating the legal dispute.