[ad_1]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said on Wednesday that an agreement with Britain could be "at hand" next week, calling for decisive breakthroughs in the negotiations in time for a summit of 28 European leaders.
PHOTO FILE: Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator for Brexit, attends a press conference with the British Secretary of State at the exit of the European Union, Dominic Raab, to the outcome of a meeting held at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, 21 August 2018. REUTERS / Francois Lenoir / Photo file
Negotiators on both sides have been stuck in talks this week to overcome differences over the biggest obstacle to reaching an agreement: how to preserve the British border with the Irish border control republic after the departure of the Great Britain of the European Union in March.
Barnier told the small business leaders that talks are going on intensely this week, day and night, with the goal of reaching an agreement at hand, if we continue the negotiations on October 17.
The leaders of the 27 countries that will remain in the EU met in Brussels on 17 October, a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May joins the summit.
Barnier reiterated that 85% of a withdrawal agreement had already been concluded, thus strengthening the pound sterling on the financial markets. Maintaining order and agreement on rules concerning products such as Camembert and Parma ham that are protected within the EU against imitations from other countries must still be fine-tuned, he added.
He also insisted that the EU insisted that Britain accept possible controls on goods moving between its continent and the province of Northern Ireland, stressing that Brexit would require customs, value added tax and compliance with EU standards.
Both sides want to avoid returning to the checkpoints at the Irish border, which would hinder trade and could revive violence in the province two decades after the signing of a peace agreement.
Mr Barnier said customs forms could be completed in advance online and that "only visible systematic checks" would involve the scanning of barcodes on trucks or containers on ferries or in ports. .
For industrial products, he said that this could be done by the "market surveillance authorities" in the premises of the company, but he added that controls on animals and products of origin should always be carried out at the border.
"Our challenge is to make sure that these procedures are as simple as possible and without any burden," he said in his speech to the European Parliament, which ended with a standing ovation.
However, a small North Irish party supporting May's minority government in Westminster's parliament is fiercely opposed to any control between the province and the rest of Britain.
Barnier said that he realized that such controls were politically difficult, but that was the consequence of the British vote to leave the EU.
He reiterated the EU's position in favor of proposals for a bold free trade agreement "without tariffs or quotas" and close security ties after Brexit.
But he rejected the EU's rejection of London's "regulatory framework for goods", saying it would give Britain an unfair competitive advantage by allowing access to parts of the market. block without guaranteeing that the country meets all its conditions.
TALKS "DAY AND NIGHT"
The 27 EU countries will receive an update of negotiations at a meeting of national ambassadors, excluding Great Britain, on Friday night. The parties will continue negotiations throughout the weekend in the hope of a breakthrough as early as Monday.
The 27 European leaders meeting next Wednesday in Brussels want to announce "breakthroughs" in the Brexit agreement and agree to hold another summit in November. This would consist of finalizing the work on a declaration of close future relations with Great Britain, which would also be part of the Brexit package.
Both the EU and Britain have announced progress in recent days, reinforcing the sentiment of the financial markets that fear the most damaging Brexit. Mr Barnier said that the cost of such a development would be "very high" for Britain, but also for certain sectors of the EU economy, such as the "high". automobile industry.
"That's why non-agreement is not and has never been our (preferred) scenario, even though our responsibility must be prepared," he said.
The European Commission has also examined the measures taken by the 27 states to deal with multiple disruptions, including customs controls and duties immediately applicable to all imports and exports.
Report by Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald, supplementary report by Alissa de Carbonnel and Daphne Psaledakis; Written by Gabriela Baczynska, edited by Angus MacSwan, Janet Lawrence and David Stamp
