UK rejects extension of Brexit transition period, chief negotiator also infected

(Patria) – Great Britain will not seek an extension of the transition period for negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit relations, announced EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who is in self-isolation at home because he has been infected with the coronavirus.

The official London wished Barnier a 'speedy recovery' in a statement, but also confirmed their intention to conclude talks on future relations by the end of the year – regardless of the coronavirus pandemic.

Just one day after it was announced that Barnier was infected, the British media reported that his British counterpart, chief negotiator for post-Brexit, David Frost, was also infected. He is showing mild symptoms of infection and is in self-isolation at home.

A source from the British government confirmed to Euronews that they remain committed to leaving the negotiations if they feel that sufficient progress has not been made by June.

- Although we have not defined what 'sufficient progress' means... if we are unable to achieve the progress we believe we need to achieve, how will we achieve anything in more complex areas, commented this source.

It has already been decided that meetings will be replaced by video conferences, and the British will likely propose a different negotiation structure adapted to the emergency situation, which involves shorter meetings and more adequate technical solutions.

- We will not extend the transition period, it was emphasized in the statement of the British government. 'We have only missed a few hours of negotiations,' commented the same source from the British government.

In contrast, a source from the EU negotiating team believes that his side is not convinced of the practicality of conducting complex negotiations in the midst of a global crisis via video conference: 'We will see what happens, but I think they will have to extend.'

The parties remain deeply divided on the vision of the future of relations after Brexit, and there is little chance they will bridge the differences in views; for example, the EU insists on a general agreement that includes market access, while Great Britain wants the future relationship to include a Free Trade Agreement with annexes covering aviation, fisheries, and the nuclear program.

Fisheries are also one of the contentious points – Britain insists on separate decision-making on this issue, while the issue of access for the EU will be renegotiated every year.