Remarks by Michel Barnier
following Round 3 of negotiations for a new partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech200_895
with the exception of some modest overtures, we failed to make any progress on any of the other more difficult topics.
• Despite its claims, the United Kingdom did not engage in a real discussion on the question of the level playing field
– those economic and commercial “fair play” rules that we agreed to, with Boris Johnson, in the Political Declaration.
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o We were also disappointed by the UK's lack of ambition in a number of areas that may not be central to the negotiation, but which are nonetheless important and symbolic.
I'm thinking, for instance of the fight against money laundering.
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• Why does the UK refuse to include consultation mechanisms with our European and British parliaments and with civil society in our future agreement?
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• Finally, on police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, although we have broad agreement on the objectives,
we continue to face two fundamental obstacles that must be resolved before we can put in place any new tools for cooperation:
o The UK refuses to commit, in an agreement with us, to guarantees protecting fundamental rights and individual freedoms resulting from the European Convention on Human Rights,
as agreed in the Political Declaration;
o It insists on lowering current standards and deviating from agreed mechanisms of data protection – to the point that it is even asking the Union to ignore its own law and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice on passenger data (“PNR rules”).
That is of course impossible.
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I have even heard Michael Gove suggest that the UK might renounce to the objective of ‘zero tariffs, zero quotas', in the hope of being freed from level playing field obligations.
This proposal would amount to reinstating tariffs and quotas between us – something that hasn't been seen in decades. The Union does not want such an anachronism.
What's more, this approach would entail a detailed – and highly sensitive – negotiation of each tariff line. We saw recently, with Japan and with Canada, that this takes years.
• Such a negotiation would only be possible with extension of the transition period.
Is this what we are to understand from Mr Gove's statement? 😂
But more than this, even if we were to eliminate on 98% or 99% of tariffs, the EU would still demand the same strong Level Playing Field guarantees
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• and because we refuse to compromise on our European values to benefit the British economy.
Economic and commercial fair play is not for sale!
Open and fair competition is not a “nice-to-have”. It is a “must-have”.
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and I insist on ‘in parallel':
• Why would we seek to give favourable market access conditions to certain British professionals
when our European fishermen would be excluded from British waters and risk losing their livelihoods?
• <span class="italic">Why would we help British enterprises to provide their services in the EU without any guarantees of economic fair play?</span>
• And, beyond our economic partnership, <span class="italic">why would be ambitious on questions of extradition or the exchange of personal data if we have no firm commitments from the UK on the protection of European citizens' fundamental rights?</span><span class="italic"> </span>
^The United Kingdom frequently refers to precedents.
It tells us it would be content with a “Canada-style” deal.
But at the same time – and this is the real paradox of this negotiation – in many areas, it is demanding a lot more than Canada!^
It is even looking to maintain the benefits of being a Member State, without the obligations.
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We are negotiating a trade agreement with a third country here – one that chose to become a third country.
This is not an opportunity for the United Kingdom to “pick and choose” the most attractive elements of the Single Market. < it's still BJ's cake ! >
This makes me believe that there is still a real lack of understanding in the United Kingdom about the objective, and sometimes mechanical, consequences of the British choice to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union. 🤦🏻♀️
To make progress in this negotiation – if it is still the United Kingdom's intention to strike a deal with the EU – the United Kingdom will have to be more realistic;
it will have to overcome this incomprehension and, no doubt, it will have to change strategy.
You cannot have the best of both worlds!