Negotiations on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the post-Brexit era will continue despite the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier testing positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday during an appearance on the German Deutschlandfunk radio station
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2020) Negotiations on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the post-Brexit era will continue despite the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier testing positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday during an appearance on the German Deutschlandfunk radio station.
On Thursday, Barnier announced on social media that he has contracted COVID-19 and was following all necessary instructions from health care professionals. The European Commission president stated that his diagnosis would not affect the course of negotiations, although planned talks scheduled to take place this week were canceled on Tuesday.
"The negotiations are continuing. Michel Barnier does not have symptoms. He is at home. We have taken the usual isolation measures and this applies to his whole team. However, we are now working via video-conference," von der Leyen stated.
When asked whether the COVID-19 outbreak would lead to an extension of the transition period that is currently scheduled to end on December 31, von der Leyen stated that the EU is open to the idea but that the decision would rest on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has previously categorically ruled out any possibility of an extension.
"We are open to negotiating, but the decision must be made by Boris Johnson's government," she said.
After formally leaving the European Union on January 31, the UK and EU have until the end of an eleven-month transition period to conclude a range of agreements on the future relationship between London and Brussels, the most pressing of which is a wide-ranging free trade deal.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said that an extension to the transition period was not being considered despite the disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
As of 09:00 GMT on Thursday, the UK Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed 3,269 cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the death toll standing at 144 as of 13:00 GMT.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has registered over 100,000 cases of the disease in the EU, UK, and countries of the European Economic Area.
