UK-EU Leaders "New Momentum Needed for Agreement"... Accelerating Future Relationship Negotiations Through Dialogue

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The leaders of the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) have agreed to accelerate negotiations on their future relationship following Brexit (the UK's withdrawal from the EU). Sharing the view that "new momentum is needed" in the stalled talks, both sides aim to reach a trade agreement and other accords as early as July, and no later than October.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 15th (local time), UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and European Parliament President David Sassoli held a video conference to review the progress of the future relationship negotiations.

In a joint statement released after the video conference, the leaders "welcomed the constructive discussions on the future relationship led by the chief negotiators," noting that these talks have brought greater clarity and deeper understanding of each other's positions. The statement added, "Nevertheless, they agreed on the need for new momentum."

The negotiation teams, led by David Frost, the UK Prime Minister's Europe Adviser, and Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, have held four rounds of talks since March. However, the negotiations reached a deadlock without narrowing differences. Consequently, both sides agreed to hold weekly face-to-face talks for five weeks from the 29th of this month until the end of July. The leaders expressed support for the agreement between the chief negotiators to accelerate dialogue in July and stated their intention to create a favorable environment to conclude discussions and ratify an agreement before the end of this year.

They also officially confirmed that the transition period will not be extended, stating, "The transition period will end on December 31, 2020, in accordance with the EU Withdrawal Agreement." Earlier, on the 12th, UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove officially conveyed the UK's position against extending the Brexit transition period during a video conference with the EU side.

After the video conference, Prime Minister Johnson expressed in front of the UK Prime Minister's residence that a trade agreement with the EU could be reached by the end of July. Johnson said, "The sooner we do this, the better," adding, "There is no reason why we cannot achieve this by the end of July." He emphasized, "I certainly do not want this issue to drag on into autumn or winter," and stated, "What we need to achieve is clear, and I do not think it is actually that far away. What we need now is a bit of vitality in the negotiations."

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