France Refuses to Be Intimidated by UK's 'Tactical Games' in Post-Brexit Talks - Minister

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2020) France will not succumb to the UK government's attempts to intimidate the European Union in the Brexit talks, including by threatening to impose access permits for international truck drivers to enter the county of Kent, French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune told the Financial Times on Friday.

Earlier this week the UK Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove confirmed that drivers of British and foreign origin would be obligated to have a special access permits to enter the southeastern England's county of Kent for further traveling to the EU starting from January 1. The regulation would likely lead to queues of up to 7,000 vehicles and related disruption in business, he warned.

"Anything which disrupts, disturbs or increases tensions in the negotiations is regrettable and we won't fall for a kind of intimidation at the European level," Beaune said, adding that Gove's statements were a way to put pressure on the EU.

The negotiations between Brussels and London on the post-Brexit deal have seen a deadlock after the latter announced it seeks to rewrite some key parts of the withdrawal treaty with the EU, including the controversial Internal Market Bill that would allow the UK to roll back some of the commitments on state aid and customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland.

Beaune noted that the EU is ready for all scenarios, including a no-deal one, but it would still be preferable for both parties to negotiate an agreement. However, it would be possible to reach only if the UK agreed to respect the bloc's conditions, including restrictions on state aid for businesses to maintain competition, and give the EU fishers access to its waters.

He also said that the consequences of introducing the World Trade Organization tariffs instead of the current tariff-free trade between two parties, would be more severe for the UK then the EU.

The United Kingdom stepped out of the European Union in January but remains under its trade terms. If no deal is reached until the so-called transition period expires on December 31, the WTO trade rules would replace the current ones.

London and Brussels are expected to conduct the ninth round of negotiations from September 28 to October 2.