Brexit trade talks at 'very difficult point' says
No 10 as France threatens veto
Close ally of Macron says Paris may act unilaterally
if terms not right as negotiations falter
Daniel
Boffey in Brussels and Heather Stewart in London
Fri 4 Dec
2020 13.41 GMT
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/04/france-could-veto-bad-brexit-deal-macron-ally-warns
Downing
Street has warned that the Brexit negotiations have hit a “very difficult
point”, as France threatened to wield its veto to kill a trade and security
deal brought back from London by the EU’s chief negotiator.
With the
negotiations hitting troubled waters at the 11th hour, Clément Beaune, France’s
European affairs minister and a close ally of president Emmanuel Macron, said
his country could act unilaterally if the terms were not right.
“I think
it’s also the case for our partners that if there were a deal that isn’t good,
which in our evaluation doesn’t correspond to those interests, we will oppose
it,” Beaune said. “Yes, each country has a veto, so it’s possible. France like
all its partners has the means of a veto. We must make our own evaluation of
course of this deal, that’s normal. We owe that to the French people, we owe it
to our fishermen, and to other economic sectors.
“I want to
believe we will have a good deal, but to get a good deal you know it’s better
to be frank, and to say our interests. We have been very clear, sometimes the
Brits a little less so, about our interests.”
A No 10
spokesman confirmed the negotiations were at a “very difficult point”, and
reiterated the UK government’s insistence on protecting “sovereignty”.
“These are
live negotiations which are ongoing. There are still some issues to overcome.
Time is in very short supply, and we’re at a very difficult point in the
talks,” the spokesman said.
“What is
certain is that we will not be able to agree a deal that doesn’t represent our
fundamental principles on sovereignty and taking back control.”
He added:
that includes controlling our borders, deciding on a robust and principled
subsidy control system, and controlling our fishing waters.”
UK
government sources had claimed on Thursday evening that the Brexit negotiations
had taken a sudden step backwards after furious French lobbying pushed the EU
to make late demands.
The
apparent hardening of the EU position was said to have destabilised the
protracted talks, peeling back progress made over the previous 24 hours. The
talks being held in the basement of the UK’s business department went on beyond
11pm on Thursday. Both sides believe Sunday evening or Monday morning is the
deadline for the year-long negotiation.
Beaune said
his government was closely monitoring developments in London, where negotiators
have been working night and day to find common ground and would scrutinise any
agreement.
He said:
“This [no deal] risk exists. We mustn’t hide it because there are businesses,
our fishermen, citizens who need to know and so we must prepare for a risk of
no deal. That’s to say on 31 December there will be no more free circulation,
and free access to the UK market and vice versa.
“But it’s
not what we want and the negotiations are still going on with Michel Barnier,
who is in London at the moment. I still hope we can have a deal but I also say
to our fishermen, to our producers, to our citizens, that we won’t accept a bad
deal.”
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