Brexit Talks Stall, Prompting Leaders to Intervene U.K., EU leaders are expected to hold talks on a post-Brexit trade deal in the coming weeks
https://www.wsj.com/articles/brexit-talks-stall-prompting-leaders-to-intervene-11591369857
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to hold talks with top Brussels officials later this month in a bid to break an impasse in negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal, after the latest round ended Friday with no major breakthrough.
The European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the negotiations needed some “extra political momentum” if the gaps between the two sides on key issues are to narrow.
“This week there has been no significant areas of progress,” Mr. Barnier said. David Frost, the British chief negotiator, said, “Progress remains limited.”
After the U.K. left the bloc at the end of January, the two sides entered a transition period lasting until end of the year, during which their commercial relations remained unchanged. That period can be extended for up to two years, but only if both sides agree to do so by the end of this month.
Mr. Johnson has said his government won’t ask for an extension, but the negotiations have been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, during which the two sides have negotiated remotely.
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