Barnier on Brexit talks: we are in a crucial moment

(22 Dec 2020) EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said in Brussels on Tuesday that the Brexit talks were "in a crucial moment" and that both sides were giving it a "final push". Leaders and negotiators from the European Union and the United Kingdom intensified their struggle on Tuesday to get a trade deal past the New Year's Day finish line as EU nations looked at legal options to do it without formal European Parliament backing. Nine months of talks have dwindled to just a few days to find a compromise on how to continue trading with as few obstructions and tariffs as possible after Britain left the EU on January 31 and a transition period runs out at the end of the year. "We are really in a crucial moment and we are giving it a final push," said EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier before he briefed EU member states on the state of negotiations. "In 10 days, the UK will leave the single market," Barnier said, highlighting the need for speed to get a deal. Over the past few days, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been drawn more and more into the talks and have been in contact by phone seeking to unblock negotiations on the last major outstanding difference - EU fishing rights in U.K. waters. Up to January 1, the rights were shared among all EU nations, but with the Brexit departure, the United Kingdom regains control over some of its abundant waters. Now both sides are haggling, seeking to retain as much of those fishing quotas as they can. If Britain insists on keeping too much for itself, it could see itself punished with tough seafood export tariffs and other measures. Officials said the EU could live with a cut of up to 25 percent in quotas while Britain wants it to be much more. The sides are also bickering over a transition period, which Johnson wants to limit to three years while the EU is pushing for seven. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is to brief EU ambassadors and legislators late Tuesday. The EU legislature says the drawn-out negotiations have left lawmakers without enough time to approve a deal by January 1 and legal intricacies are now being explored to see if any deal could still come into force on January 1, while the European Parliament approves it later. On Monday, Johnson insisted it didn't really matter whether an agreement is reached or not, saying Britain would “prosper mightily” even if the talks collapsed overnight. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...