EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier today stepped up warnings across Europe that there will be new barriers with the UK even if an 11th-hour trade deal is struck.
Ahead of travelling to London to try to break the deadlock in negotiations, he tweeted guidance from the European Union that “changes are inevitable” and businesses, citizens and public bodies should prepare for them.
Mr Barnier was due to hold emergency talks today with UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost amid a stand-off over state aid rules and fishing rights.
In a tweet directed at Croatia, he highlighted the guidance which states: “Even if the EU and the UK enter into a very ambitious partnership by the end of 2020 covering all areas agreed in the Political Declaration, the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, internal market and customs union at the end of the transition period will inevitably create barriers to trade and cross-border exchanges that do not exist today.
“Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, from 1 January 2021, far-reaching consequences for public administrations, businesses and citizens will be visible.”
The warnings follow similar Twitter messages directed at other EU nations and come amid concerns that Britain could end up having left the European bloc with no deal at the end of the year.
Both sides are accusing the other of blocking progress in the talks.
A UK government spokesperson said: “It is the EU’s refusal to agree with us arrangements they have agreed with other major trading partners that is the cause of the difficulties, and will remain so until the EU accepts that the UK’s future subsidy arrangements are a matter for the British people and Parliament, not the EU.”
However, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian blamed the UK’s “intransigent and unrealistic attitude”.
John Dickie, director of strategy for business group London First, said it was now “crucial that both sides work hard to agree a deal as quickly as possible. Businesses need time to prepare for the new arrangements, and their bandwidth has been squeezed by the pandemic.”
