LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) London is surprised by Brussels' unbalanced demands for a Brexit free trade deal as it hinders negotiations process, UK's lead negotiator David Frost said in a letter to his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, urging the European Union to take a fair approach in the talks.
The third round of trade negotiations concluded on May 15 with parties not making any significant progress. According to Frost, the process is slowed down by unbalanced requirements by Brussels. London's position is based on the bloc's existing trade agreements with other countries, Frost said. For example, UK's proposed position on free trade is close to the existing EU trade deal with Canada, and a cooperation project in the field of fisheries is similar to the EU agreement with Norway.
"Given this reality, we find it perplexing that the EU, instead of seeking to settle rapidly a high-quality set of agreements with a close economic partner, is instead insisting on additional, unbalanced and unprecedented provisions in a range of areas, as a precondition for agreement between us. Overall, we find it hard to see what makes the UK, uniquely among your trading partners, so unworthy of being offered the kind of well-precedented arrangements commonplace in modern [free trade deals]," the letter read, as quoted by The Guardian.
The next two rounds of negotiations between London and Brussels are expected to take place in June and July in online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Kingdom left the European Union in January, completing a process that began with the Brexit referendum held in June 2016. A transition period is currently in effect until December 31, giving Brussels and London time to conclude a range of agreements, the most important of which is a free trade deal.
