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| Michel Barnier:" Bitain has to renegotiate 700 Intl..Trade Agreements" |
Speaking after briefing ministers from the other 27 EU
states and ahead of publication on Wednesday of a first draft of a
withdrawal treaty that officials say will cross many British red lines,
Barnier returned to a familiar mantra that had become muted after an
interim deal with London two months ago.
“The clock is
ticking. I am worried by the time, which is short,” he told reporters,
referring to an October target for agreeing a treaty, including a
transition period, in time for it to be ratified before Brexit in March
2019.
With British politics still in turmoil over
Brexit, a mammoth project rejected by nearly half the country in a 2016
referendum, there has been a sharpening of tone on both sides.
British officials accuse Brussels of eschewing creative solutions to avoid trade disruption, while EU leaders complain that Prime Minister Theresa May’s divided government is failing to make its intentions clear.
Asked
about a comment by the EU summit chair last week that ideas for a
future trade pact being floated ahead of a key May speech on Friday were
“pure illusion”,
EU Chief negotiator Barnier said he agreed with Donald Tusk. “It is
illusory to imagine we will accept cherry-picking,” he said of the idea
that Britain could maintain EU regulations in some sectors, while
diverging in others.
Note EU-Digest: In this mornings (February 28th Press conference Barnier also pointed out that after Britain leaves the EU, Britain will have to renegotiate some 700 trade deals they were a part of during the more than 40 years of membership in the EU. "Britain can't have their cake and eat it also".
Read more: EU's Barnier warns time running out for Brexit deal
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