BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) – Despite the fact that there are deep rifts over fishing rights on British waters, the EU is trying to make a “final push” to strike a post-Brexit trade agreement with Britain, said the bloc’s chief negotiator on Tuesday.
The nation will exit the bloc finally on Dec. 31 when its current free trade pact expires. For months, both sides have been struggling to strike a deal that covers everything from trade to transport and energy.
Aggravating the woes of the final stages of the tortuous negotiations, most nations in the bloc and from outside have suspended air travel to and from Britain following the outbreak of the mutated version of the coronavirus, which is highly contagious.
“We are really in a crucial moment. We are giving it a final push,” said the negotiator, Michel Barnier.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin expressed optimism, saying that negotiations were more likely than not to come out sans an agreement. But he said talks might extend beyond Christmas.
Barnier said in Brussels that the British proposal on sharing out the fish catch from its waters from 2021 was totally unacceptable.
“Barnier is walking a tightrope between London and Paris,” said one diplomat in Brussels.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly stressed that the country must control its waters and who fishes there.
According to EU officials and diplomats, the bloc would concede to slashing the value of its fish catch in British waters by around 25%, while Britain was seeking a 30-35% cut.