Trade Negotiations
The European Parliament has given the negotiations on a possible trade pact with Great Britain until Sunday. With just two weeks to go before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December, the European Union is still negotiating a follow-up deal with Britain that would avoid tariffs and serious trade barriers. However, according to British government sources, the negotiating parties are still very far apart on key issues.
The European Parliament has given the negotiations on a possible trade pact with Great Britain until Sunday. If a finished text is available by midnight, it is prepared to schedule a special session for ratification, according to a decision by the parliament's leadership.
The British Prime Minister Johnson no longer considers a deal likely - but wants to continue negotiating.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is dampening expectations for a trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union. "There is now a high probability that we will get a solution similar to Australia's relationship with the EU, rather than one similar to the Canada-Europe relationship," Johnson said.
Australia and the European Union currently trade based on the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which would equate a no-deal brexit.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced further Brexit negotiations after a telephone conversation. Von der Leyen explained in a TV statement that the talks would continue "despite major differences". These differences were on the three topics of fishing rights, guarantees for fair competition and the regulation of future relations.
The Brexit negotiations had been declared a top priority after the negotiators had failed to make progress on Friday.
According to reports from the Financial Times, the United Kingdom's government under prime minister Boris Johnson plans to render some regulations from the EU withdrawal treaty void.
The British government allegedly plans to pass laws on Wednesday that could override parts of the Brexit agreement on state aid and border regulations with Ireland.
The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has demanded a fully negotiated Brexit deal until the 15th of October. If this is not the case, there will be no free trade between the United Kingdom and European Union after the transition period, according to Johnson.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated she has "considerable doubts" about backing the EU-Mercorsur deal due to environmental concerns. The chancellor met Thursday climate campaigners in Berlin.
Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for the German government, told reports that "Serious questions have arisen due to the ongoing environmental concerns "as to whether the implementation of the agreement in the intended spirit would be guaranteed at present."
The trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur states of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, would create the world's largest free-trade zone.
Mercosur released a statement last Friday (April 26) that Argentina decided to withdraw from ongoing trade negotiations with the South American trade bloc to focus on the growing economic crisis at home. The bloc, formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has recently been hobbled by political squabbling and government changeovers.