Direct negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union were suspended on Thursday in Brussels after one of the members of the European team tested positive for COVID-19, the UK's chief negotiator David Frost has confirmed
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2020) Direct negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union were suspended on Thursday in Brussels after one of the members of the European team tested positive for COVID-19, the UK's chief negotiator David Frost has confirmed.
"I am in close contact with @michelbarnier about the situation. The health of our teams comes first. I would like to thank the @EU_Commission for their immediate help and support," Frost wrote on Twitter.
The decision to suspend the negotiations was first announced by his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, who also took to the social media platform to say that both sides had agreed to put conversations on halt for a short period.
"The teams will continue their work in full respect of guidelines," Barnier tweeted.
The UK left the EU on January 31, but as part of the withdrawal agreement, both sides entered an 11-month transition period to negotiate their future commercial relations.
Trade talks have been at an impasse for months over wide divergences over fishing quotas, the level-playing field the set of common rules and standards designed to prevent businesses in one country from undercutting their rivals in other countries and governance.
If no trade deal is secured before year's end, the World Trade Organization's rules will come into effect starting in 2021, including customs tariffs and full border checks for UK goods going across the English Channel.
