Brexit: Michel Barnier says he cannot allow UK to ‘cherry pick’ in negotiations
Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said he will not allow the UK to “cherry pick” benefits of EU membership in a free trade deal.
Barnier told the EU’s Economic and Social Committee today that the UK was asking for “a lot more than Canada, Japan or any of our other free trade agreement partners” and that the EU would act in its own economic interests in negotiations.
Talks between the UK and EU have stalled after four rounds, with the two sides unable to make progress on areas such as fishing policy and business competition regulations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set for high level meetings this month in an attempt to remove the current blockages to a trade deal.
UK negotiators have said that they must see before autumn that a deal is possible or else they will walk away and prepare to leave the transition period on 31 December without a deal.
Barnier said today that the UK was trying to retain some benefits of EU membership in a trade deal without the repsonsibilites.
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He cited the UK’s demands to have its exports exempt from customs checks without aligning to EU rules as one example and a demand for “complete freedom of movement for short term stays for UK service providers” as another.
“We cannot allow and will not allow this cherry picking,” Barnier said.
“The UK chose to become a third country – it cannot have the best of both worlds.
“This is simply not in the long term political or economic interest of the EU.”
Barnier also sent a warning to the UK private sector, saying that the EU would have to wean itself off its reliance on some British industries, such as litigation.
“As Britain prepares to leave the single market and customs union, we have to ask ourselves if it is in the EU interests of the UK to retain such a prominent position,” he said.
“We need to look beyond short term adaption costs to our long term economic interests.”
The UK negotiating team is accusing the EU of not treating them as a “sovereign” state in negotiations.
UK chief negotiator David Frost has said Britain will not be a rule taker from the EU, in particular in regards to the so-called level playing field.
Brussels is asking that the UK matches EU regulations on things like labour laws and environmental standards so British businesses do not have opportunities for competitive advantages.
In return for this level playing field, the EU would agree to trade with the UK without tariffs or quotas.
A source close to Frost said last week that he was not willing to accept Barnier’s terms on the level playing field as “the fundamental of not being an EU country is not having your laws set buy other countries”.
The source also said the UK negotiating team wanted to see a “more intensive [negotiations] process” over the next two month to be able to agree to a deal.
Responding to Barnier’s comments today, a UK government spokesperson said: “
“We are not asking for a special, bespoke, or unique deal. We are looking for a deal like those the EU has previously struck with other friendly countries like Canada.
“We‘ve been clear that we do not seek to remain part of the single market or customs union, as we do not believe this is in the UK’s interest.
“Our legal texts draw on precedent where relevant precedent exists, and we have made pragmatic proposals where it does not, for example on road transport or energy cooperation.”