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BREXIT

OPINION: Barnier grows frustrated as British government seems averse to compromise

The UK government remains firmly set against any extension to the transition period, regardless of the Covid crisis and Michel Barnier’s comments that “our door is open” to a one or two-year delay, writes Sue Wilson of Bremain in Spain.

OPINION: Barnier grows frustrated as British government seems averse to compromise
EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier shows documents as he gives a press conference after a Brexit negotiations meeting. Photos: AFP

Before the EU/UK trade negotiations started last week, the political grandstanding had already begun. 

Throughout the trade negotiations, EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told the UK some home truths. These include no membership benefits for non-members, no cherry-picking and no bending EU rules. Ahead of the latest talks, Barnier also reminded prime minister, Boris Johnson, of the commitments he made when signing the Withdrawal Agreement in 2019.

Specifically, Barnier told Johnson he must keep the promises of the Political Declaration (PD). The document, while not legally binding, clearly defined agreed goals for the future relationship between the UK and EU. Those commitments include maintaining a level playing field with the EU on standards, and an agreement about accessing British fishing waters.

Barnier stated: “We remember very clearly the text which we negotiated with Boris Johnson. And we just want to see that complied with, to the letter.” He went on to say: “If that does not happen, there will be no agreement.”

Before the talks had begun, the UK responded, without a hint of irony, that progress had not been made “because of the inflexible attitude shown by Mr Barnier”. A source close to lead negotiator, David Frost (below), said: “The EU needs to inject some political reality into its approach and appreciate that they cannot use their usual tactic of delay to drag the talks into the autumn. October is too late.”

On Tuesday 2 June, the talks began using video conferencing links. While enabling discussion, social-distanced negotiations are no substitute for face-to-face meetings. There’s little opportunity to observe body language and no informal chats over a coffee or something stronger. It is frequently during these informal discussions that progress occurs.

Before the first day of talks concluded, Downing Street dismissed speculation that the UK was preparing to compromise. They called such speculation “wishful thinking”. Meanwhile, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, warned the UK government it would be “deeply irresponsible and reckless” to risk a no-deal. Following this week’s negotiations, that risk seems higher than ever.

At Friday’s press conference in Brussels, a clearly irritated Barnier announced there had been “no significant areas of progress” in this fourth round of talks. He drew attention to the PD, which he held up for the cameras, and accused his British counterparts of distancing themselves from the text. He said: “It is and will remain the only valid precedent in this negotiation, and it was agreed by both sides.” He asked that the PD be “respected and complied with” and reiterated that the joint PD clearly sets out the “terms of our future partnership”. He added: “This document is available in all languages, including English. It's not difficult to read.”

Concerning citizens’ rights, Barnier said the rights of EU citizens in UK and UK citizens in EU must be preserved. He pointed out that UK nationals living in the EU will receive a physical document, confirming their proof of status. The demand for similar proof for EU citizens in the UK is an ongoing issue.

In response to Barnier’s comments, the chief UK negotiator, David Frost, said that “positive” negotiations would continue but admitted that “progress remains limited”. British negotiators seem to be averse to compromise, maintaining that the EU’s call for “level-playing commitments”, which it insists are required for market access, surpass what has been expected of other countries.

Barnier expressed hopes that an agreement could be reached and said both sides would take stock, ahead of a European Summit in June and a meeting between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

The UK government remains firmly set against any extension to the transition period, regardless of the Covid crisis and despite Barnier’s comments that “our door is open” to a one or two-year delay. With time running out, demands for a delay are now coming from every quarter.  

The Westminster government seems less concerned about leaving with no trade deal than the devolved governments, businesses and the majority of the British public. Many people argue that leaving with no deal has been the goal of the UK government all along. Whatever you believe, it’s hard to disagree with Barnier when he says: “We can’t go on like this forever.”

The world is going through the worst crisis in decades. The cost to wealth and health can only be estimated, but it will surely be worse than anything we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. A no deal Brexit, while harmful to Europe, would be considerably more damaging to the UK. Why suffer the additional pain of a second economic crisis when we’re recovering from the first?

Brexit is happening. Nothing can change that. Let’s do Brexit as well as possible by obtaining the best deal – to protect jobs, standards and citizens.

This is not just about getting the best deal with Europe. The UK wants good deals globally. That’s more likely to happen if the British government keeps its word. Trust takes a long time to establish but can be destroyed in a moment.

We must believe that Johnson signed up to the Political Declaration in good faith and aware of its contents and ramifications. Those standards – employee rights, food safety, animal welfare, the environment etc. – took considerable time and effort to achieve. The UK and the EU can rightly be proud of these standards, and Johnson agreed to maintain them. We must hold him to his promises. Our future depends on it.

By Sue Wilson – Chair of Bremain in Spain

 

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GIBRALTAR

UK soldiers expelled from Spain after crossing from Gibraltar posing as tourists

Spain has expelled four Royal Navy servicemen who crossed the Spain-Gibraltar border on foot three times in a single day while dressed in civilian clothing, with Spanish media claiming they were checking the porosity of the border.

UK soldiers expelled from Spain after crossing from Gibraltar posing as tourists

Spanish police expelled four British soldiers from Spain on Monday night, removing them from the country and sending them back to Gibraltar after it emerged that the four Royal Navy personnel had entered Spain illegally while “posing as tourists”, as the Spanish press has reported.

The incident comes a week after the British Navy carried out military drills in the waters surrounding Gibraltar, the British overseas territory that Spain still claims sovereignty of, and amid the seemingly never-ending negotiations between Spain and the UK to finally settle a post-Brexit deal.

READ ALSO: Gibraltar Brexit deal ‘close’ as Brits crossing into Spain use fake bookings

The expulsions, now reported in the Spanish press by Europa Sur and confirmed to El Periódico de España by official sources, occurred after the four soldiers arrived in Gibraltar on a civilian flight and entered into Spain. They also had return tickets via Gibraltar.

They then reportedly passed themselves off as tourists and entered Spain on foot, staying at a four-star hotel in La Línea de la Concepción, the town in the Cádiz province of Andalusia that borders Gibraltar.

Stranger yet is that they crossed the border at La Línea on up to three occasions in the space of a few hours.

READ ALSO: What Brits need to know before crossing the border from Gibraltar to Spain

Spanish authorities detected their presence because two of the soldiers tried to return to Gibraltar at night.

At the border, Spanish police officers enquired as to the reason for their entry, to which the soldiers replied that they were on their way to work and brandished British military documentation.

The police decided that their entry into Spain had been irregular because they did not meet the Schengen Borders Code requirements demanded of non-EU citizens entering EU territory.

According to Europa Sur, Spanish police then asked the two soldiers to call their colleagues in the hotel in order to collect their luggage and return to Gibraltar, which took place at midnight on Monday 18th March.

The Spanish press has stated that it is common for soldiers to try to stay in Spanish territory by concealing their military status and entering while posing as tourists.

The motive for the soldiers’ presence, particularly their repeated trips across the border, remains unknown.

The military drills in the area seem to suggest that the soldiers may have taken part in or be due to take part in further exercises and wanted to enter as tourists.

Spanish media also suggests that they could have been testing the porosity of the border, though these claims remain unsubstantiated.

Gibraltar’s post-Brexit status still remains unresolved. The EU and UK government are now onto their 18th round of treaty negotiations after the framework agreement between London and Madrid made on New Year’s Eve 2020 essentially ‘fudged’ the border issue, leaving Gibraltar’s status within the Schengen area undefined.

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said in late-2023 that “we are very, very close” to finalising a Brexit agreement.

“I would sign a deal with Britain over Gibraltar tomorrow,” Albares told journalists at the time. Yet no agreement was made, despite the Minister’s positivity, nor the appointment of former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary.

Albares’ comments came at a time when it was reported in the Spanish press that many UK nationals have been using fake hotel bookings in order to try and bypass the Schengen rules and trick their way through border checks.

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