‘Much remains to be done’ after seven days of intensive negotiations – Barnier

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that “much remains to be done” to broker a post-Brexit trade deal as negotiations continued in Brussels.

He said on Friday they are working hard to get an agreement but that there were still significant gaps after seven days of “intensive negotiations” in London.

Talks with his Downing Street counterpart, Lord Frost, resumed in the Belgian capital on Thursday as they try to get a deal in place for the end of the transition period on December 31.

🇪🇺🇬🇧 After 7 days of intensive negotiations in London, talks continue with @DavidGHFrost and his team in Brussels in full respect of the national health measures #COVID19

Working hard for an agreement. Much remains to be done. pic.twitter.com/gxXarghpfK

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) October 30, 2020

Currently the UK remains a member of the single market and continues to follow EU rules, but businesses will face high tariffs to trade if there is no deal at the end of the transition.

Mr Barnier tweeted: “Working hard for an agreement.

“Much remains to be done.”

On Monday, No 10 warned that “time is very short” to bridge the “significant” gaps between the two sides.

The main obstacles to overcome remain fishing rights and the “level playing field” rules to ensure fair competition and governance arrangements.