MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2020) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed during a phone conversation on Saturday to continue post-Brexit talks and hold another call on Monday evening.
"In a phone call today on the on-going negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom, we welcomed the fact that progress has been achieved in many areas. Nevertheless, significant differences remain on three critical issues," Johnson and von der Leyen said in a joint statement, released by the UK prime minister's office.
These issues include level playing field, governance and fisheries, according to the statement.
"Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved. We are therefore instructing our chief negotiators to reconvene tomorrow in Brussels. We will speak again on Monday evening," the statement read.
In a tweet following the phone call, von der Leyen confirmed that "differences remain" and that "no agreement feasible if these are not resolved."
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier confirmed that he would meet with his UK counterparts on Sunday to continue the talks.
"We will see if there is a way forward," Barnier said on Twitter.
The UK and EU have until December 31 to negotiate the terms of their post-Brexit relations. A possible trade deal is the focus of attention, specifically, without which the two sides will have to trade under standard rules of the World Trade Organization after the transition period ends.
