UK urges EU to change viewpoint in post-Brexit negotiation
(VOVWORLD) - Asked by the UK Parliament’s Brexit Committee on Wednesday if the UK should wait for the EU to change its negotiation strategy, UK chief negotiator David Frost said it is a must if the two sides want to reach an agreement.
 UK chief negotiator David Frost (Photo: EPA) |
He said: “The EU has a formal mandate. Clearly, that is the way it normally does negotiations. Our view at the moment is that that mandate, at least in key areas, is not a mandate that is likely to produce an agreement.”
After three rounds of negotiations conducted since the beginning of this year, the UK and the EU have not made any significant progress due to disagreements in key areas including fair trade and fisheries.
Negotiators are expected to begin the next round next week. This will be a crucial round since the EU will hold a summit next month to review the whole negotiation process so far, and the UK will have to make a final decision on whether or not it will extend the Brexit transition period, which is scheduled to end on the last day of this year.