Thursday, 13 February 2020

Brexit: Macron pushes for tougher EU negotiating position

Emmanuel Macron is making a last-ditch push for a tougher EU negotiating position with Britain over the post-Brexit relationship despite concerns among other member states that they risk blowing up the talks before they have begun.
 The GuardianDaniel Boffey in Brussels   13 Feb2020
Emmanuel Macron wearing glasses and smiling at the camera: Emmanuel Macron has said Britain must not get a competitive advantage in the long term.
© Pool/AFP via Getty Images Emmanuel Macron has said Britain must not get a competitive advantage in the long term.
The conclusion of an internal decision on Brussels’s so-called level playing field demands has been delayed as the French government continues to push for stronger commitments on regulatory alignment to be asked of the British in return for maintaining free trade.
Boris Johnson has in recent days made clear his rejection of the idea that the UK will shadow EU rules after the transition period given that he is not seeking “frictionless” trade at the borders. His chief negotiator, David Frost, is expected to build upon that in a speech in Belgium next Monday evening.

© Getty
EU sources said there was a concern among some member states that negotiating avenues could be closed off even before the two sides sit down to talk in the first week of March. “You need space to find common ground,” said one diplomat.
The EU’s initial draft negotiating position, outlined by the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, two weeks ago, had called on the UK not to go below current standards on environmental, social and workers’ rights and stay in line with Brussels on state aid and competition rules as they develop.
Gallery: Britain bids goodbye to the EU (Photos)
Slide 1 of 72: Brexit supporters gather during a rally in London, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Britain officially leaves the European Union on Friday after a debilitating political period that has bitterly divided the nation since the 2016 Brexit referendum. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Slide 1 of 72: Brexit supporters gather during a rally in London, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Britain officially leaves the European Union on Friday after a debilitating political period that has bitterly divided the nation since the 2016 Brexit referendum. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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1/72 SLIDES © Frank Augstein/AP Photo
The United Kingdom is now officially out of the European Union, three-and-a-half years after a referendum on membership of the bloc was unexpectedly won by the Leave side. The poll uncovered deep fault lines in British society, and subsequent arguments over when and how the U.K. should depart, if at all, caused political paralysis until a decisive victory by Boris Johnson in a general election called to resolve the deadlock last month. At 11 p.m. U.K. time (midnight European time) on Friday, Jan. 31, the country officially left, triggering celebrations and commiserations across the country and continent from those on each side of the Leave-Remain divide.
(Pictured) Brexit supporters gather during a rally in London, on Jan. 31.

France has, however, been an outspoken voice, albeit not entirely isolated among the 27 member states, in calling for more “ambitious” commitments to be a condition for the UK government in any future treaty.
There is a concern that EU attempts to increase its environmental standards, in particular, will be held back if there is a risk that British companies will be left able to undercut European firms in a decade or longer.
“The French don’t say the words ‘dynamic alignment’ in discussions now but talk about the need for more clarity and ambitious commitments,” said one EU source of the latest internal debate. “The text will probably go further that way. The problem is that this is a negotiation and we don’t want to close the door at this stage. That is the concern.”
Johnson has said the UK will not align with EU regulations as the price of a free trade deal, and that if Brussels insists the British government will settle for trade on WTO terms, including tariffs and quantity quotas on goods crossing the Channel. The French president, Macron, has in turn spoken in public of the need to ensure Britain is not given a competitive advantage in the long term.
Macron’s ambassador to the EU, during a three-hour meeting on Wednesday evening, which followed an eight-hour session among diplomats earlier in the week, insisted on Wednesday that there should be no scope for the UK to “misunderstand” the need for maintaining standards to EU levels.
‘The lady’s not for turning’: Memorable quotes from PMs past (Photos)
Slide 1 of 26: LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Boris Johnson speaks to supporters and press as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory on December 13, 2019 in London, England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the first UK winter election for nearly a century in an attempt to gain a working majority to break the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit. As the results roll in the Conservative Party has gained the number of seats needed to win a clear majority at the expense of the Labour Party. Votes are still being counted and an overall result is expected later today. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Slide 1 of 26: LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Boris Johnson speaks to supporters and press as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory on December 13, 2019 in London, England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the first UK winter election for nearly a century in an attempt to gain a working majority to break the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit. As the results roll in the Conservative Party has gained the number of seats needed to win a clear majority at the expense of the Labour Party. Votes are still being counted and an overall result is expected later today. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
1/26 SLIDES © Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

BORIS JOHNSON (2019- )

"We must understand now what an earthquake we have created. The way in which we have
changed the political map of this country. We have to grapple with the consequences of that,
we have to change our own party, we have to rise to the level of events. We must answer
the challenge that the British people have given us," Johnson said in a victory speech
following a landslide win for his Conservative Party in the Dec. 12, 2019 general election.

The latest draft negotiating position is now to be circulated among the member states on Thursday but without the most controversial and sensitive section on state aid and environmental, social and workers’ rights.
The EU debate will continue into next week to allow ministers to then sign off on the position on 25 February, allowing negotiations with the British to start in the first week of March. “We understand that this needs to be done swiftly to maintain credibility with our negotiating partner,” said a diplomat.
Additions to the original European commission text already include that the “level playing field” commitments should prevent unfair competitive advantages “over time so as to ensure a sustainable and long-lasting relationship”.
In terms of fishing rights in British waters, the draft mandate says the two sides should also “uphold” existing reciprocal access conditions rather than merely “build” on the current terms of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The UK will remain in the single market and customs union until the end of 2020 after which the government has accepted that there will be checks and controls at the borders with the EU.
A UK government source said: “Half the time the EU is telling us they are surprised we are not more ‘ambitious’ and the other half of the time they are saying we’re looking for too much.
“It’s now the EU who are cherry picking, suggesting ambition only where it suits them and adding obligations that go beyond a standard free trade agreement. We are clear and consistent about what we want – not a bespoke or special FTA, but similar to the one the EU already has with Canada.”
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