UK Johnson-EU von der Leyen Meeting... Launch of 'Post-Brexit' Negotiations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU), will meet on the 8th (local time) to discuss future relationship negotiations after Brexit.

According to BBC and Sky News, Prime Minister Johnson will meet with President von der Leyen at 10 Downing Street in the afternoon. This is the first time that von der Leyen, who took office earlier this month following her predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker, will meet separately with Prime Minister Johnson.

At this meeting, Prime Minister Johnson is expected to emphasize the need to conclude the future relationship negotiations, which will intensify after Brexit scheduled for the 31st, within this year. A spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Office said, "He will focus on the necessity of agreeing on a reliable and positive future relationship by the end of the year." He added, "Since it has been more than three years since the 2016 Brexit referendum, both the UK and EU residents will expect an ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) to be concluded on time."

He also plans to convey the position that extending the transition period, set until the end of this year for the smooth implementation of Brexit, is not possible.

Even if the UK leaves the EU on the 31st, the current system will be maintained during the transition period set until the end of the year. Both sides will conduct future relationship negotiations covering trade agreements during the transition period, as well as security, foreign policy, and transportation.

Originally, both sides agreed that if the future relationship negotiations could not be completed within the deadline, the transition period could be extended once for up to two years. However, Johnson added a provision to the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) submitted to Parliament last month that prohibits extending the transition period.

The UK opposition parties believe that considering the years-long trade negotiations the EU has had with countries like Canada, it will be difficult for the UK and EU to reach a future relationship agreement within the mere 11-month transition period.

If no agreement on the future relationship is reached by the end of the transition period, both sides will be subject to the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework, which is feared to cause shocks similar to a so-called 'no deal' Brexit. The EU side has also expressed concerns that this deadline is too tight.

Before meeting with Prime Minister Johnson, President von der Leyen plans to visit the London School of Economics (LSE), where she studied in the 1970s, and deliver a lecture emphasizing the need for the UK and EU to maintain a close relationship even after Brexit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.