Barnier, Johnson clash over post-Brexit ties

The EU and Britain opened hostilities in Brexit's next bruising chapter yesterday, laying down tough red lines for a post-divorce future following the UK's dramatic exit from the bloc.

Prime minister Boris Johnson rejected the European Union insistence on full alignment with Brussels as the “price of free trade”, as he set out Britain's position for post-Brexit talks.

“I see no need to bind ourselves to an agreement with the EU. We will restore full sovereign controls over our borders, immigration, competition, subsidy rules, procurement, data protection,” he said.

Europe's chief negotiator Michel Barnier formally announced his ideas for new ties in Brussels, offering London a deep relationship going forward as long as Britain makes guarantees to trade fairly. The former French minister said fisheries and fair trade would be his top priorities in the 11 months of talks, with a special focus on denying Britain “unfair competitive advantages”.



'Highly ambitious deal'

But Barnier's vision will fly in the face of that of Johnson, who insists that Britain's alignment with Europeans on rules and regulations defies the spirit of Brexit and is a thing of the past.

“We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal as the central pillar of this partnership, including zero tariffs,” Barnier told a news conference in Brussels.

“We must now agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level-playing-field over the long term,” he said.

“That means a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters today and in their future developments,” he said. Both sides will have until the end of the year to reconcile their positions, with Johnson flatly refusing to extend the negotiating period beyond December 31.

Until then, Britain has agreed to abide by the rules of EU membership, but failing a deal, the two sides would resort to the most basic of relationships with border checks and high tariffs causing big shocks to the cross-channel economy.



Polarising

Johnson, a polarising figure accused of glossing over the complexity of leaving the EU, is in a rush to seal an agreement and deliver the “independence” promised by Brexiteers, following Britain's exit on January 31. This would also open the way for Britain to seal more ambitious trade deals across the globe, most notably with the United States.

“The closer the UK wants to be, the easier the access to the single market.

But nothing comes for free,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told reporters. “It's of utmost importance, and therefore I think it's only a matter of fairness to also play by the rules,” she said.



Canada as model

Britain has asked for the EU's trade deal with Canada to be used as a model, which Europeans consider acceptable on tariffs and quotas, but too weak on provisions to guarantee fair trade.

Barring that Johnson said that Britain would be happy to match the EU's current ties with far-away Australia, which include tariffs, quotas and some basic cooperation on product safety. “Going for an Australia model is totally absurd if you look at how tightly intertwined the value and production chains are,” Bernd Lange, an influential MEP who chairs the European Parliament's trade committee, told AFP. In a sign of the tensions, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar urged London on Sunday to “tone down” what he called “nationalistic rhetoric”.

Britain should avoid repeating the past mistake of insisting on “rigid red lines” which “makes it hard to come to an agreement”, he said.

Barnier's negotiating mandate will be discussed and approved by the EU's 27 member states later this month with direct trade talks with London to begin in early March.

– Nampa/AFP

Brussels -