Michel Barnier has said the main obstacle to a deal in the final “few hours” of the post-Brexit trade negotiation is whether Brussels will be able to hit British goods with tariffs if the government closes its fishing waters to EU fishing fleets in the future.
With the European parliament having said it needs agreement by midnight on Sunday for it to be able to give its consent in a vote this year, the EU’s chief negotiator said the nine months of talks had hit the “moment of truth”.
The two sides are at loggerheads over whether the EU will be able to hit back should the UK close its seas to European vessels after a transition period of unspecified length.
Barnier said it would only be fair for Brussels to be able to put tariffs on UK goods, and fisheries products in particular, should European fishing fleet lose their access to British waters. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, December 18, 2020
