MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2020) European Council President Charles Michel has said on Thursday that the bloc's member states remain united in support of Michel Barnier, the EU's lead negotiator with the United Kingdom, as the deadline for London and Brussels to reach a free trade agreement draws closer.
"All EU27 Leaders stand behind their negotiator. We all want to reach an agreement, but not at any price. Withdrawal agreement has to be fully implemented. Full stop," Michel wrote on Twitter.
European leaders are currently in Brussels for the two-day European Council summit that began earlier on Thursday.
Back in September, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson set an ultimatum of October 15 for both sides to agree on a wide-ranging trade agreement that will cover future bilateral relations.
However, speaking at a press conference alongside Michel after the first day of the European Council summit, Barnier said that plans were in the works for at least two more weeks of intense negotiations.
"We have got the prospects of a deal, we need to make progress, in particular with the level playing field, with governance and also on the fisheries dossier. So, a lot of work needs to be done and as of tomorrow, I will be speaking with my counterpart David Frost. On Monday, we'll be in London for the full week, including the weekend if necessary, and the following week in Brussels," Barnier stated.
The European Union is hoping to conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom, despite the remaining differences of opinion on governance, fisheries, and the set of equal rules and standards that prevent one country from undercutting another, also known as the level playing field, by the end of October, the EU negotiator said.
"That's what I have proposed to the British team to negotiate in the short space of time still left to us so that we can reach this deal through to the end of October, so that we have the agreement that we want and that the member states want," Barnier stated.
After the United Kingdom officially left the European Union on January 31, an eleven-month transition period that sees some of the bloc's rules still apply in the UK. Should a deal not be reached by December 31, the UK and EU will conduct trade according to World Trade Organization rules.
