UK-EU to begin ninth and final round of post-Brexit negotiations on Sept 29

The United Kingdom and the European Union, on September 29, will formally begin the ninth and final round of talks on a post-Brexit free trade treaty in Brussels. While the 11-month transition period is about to end, the UK and the EU have been struggling to reach a post-Brexit agreement. According to the agenda released by the British government, the upcoming negotiations will now focus on the fishery, the so-called level playing field for open and fair competition, horizontal arrangement and governance and law enforcement and judicial cooperation. 

Both the parties have been crossing swords over the UK government’s plans to override parts of the withdrawal agreement. Earlier this week, UK Brexit Minister Michael Gove also met with the EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, but only to confirm that a no-deal Brexit has never been so close. 

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While speaking to media reporters, Sefcovic has said that EU will not be the one to call an end to the negotiations on the future partnership. However, he also warned that the bloc would use the legal mechanisms within the Brexit agreement if the UK does not remove by Wednesday the clauses in the Internal market Bill that violate both the letter of the treaty and the international law. 

Gove, on the other hand, said that the British government will not back down and would continue seeking the passage of the controversial proposal in Parliament, after it passed its first reading in the House of Commons on September 15. While referring to the bill that would roll back some of the state aid and customs commitments that London made in the Northern Ireland protocol, Gove said, “But those clauses are there, they're in legislation supported by the House of Common as a safety net if need be and those clauses will remain in that Bill”. 

READ: Gove Arrives At EU For Brexit Talks With Sefcovic

UK eager to enter ‘tunnel’ negotiations 

Meanwhile, the British government is eager to enter the intensive “tunnel” negotiations which permit both the EU and the UK to be creative with a reliable solution to most inflexible problems before the leaders’ summit on October 15. Brussels, however, is not convinced that Johnson has received the backing of his colleagues to commit to the future negotiations. 

Britain is in an 11-month transition period with the 27-nation-bloc after exiting the union on January 31. The UK and EU had begun the trade negotiations in March after being halted due to coronavirus outbreak and it would set the frame for the future relationship between both sides after December 31. However, not much progress has been made in the talks. 

(Inputs: ANI; Image: AP) 

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