Brexit: ‘Significant progress’ in talks over fishing rights during trade negotiations – EU sources

Britain and the EU have made “significant progress” in the Brexit negotiations on the rights of European fleets to fish in UK waters, two EU sources have told Sky News.

They added there is now a “landing zone” which involves a phased introduction and also specific quotas for different species.

However, they said this has not been finalised.

A UK government source has told Sky News there has been “no breakthrough on fishing”, adding: “Nothing new has been achieved today.”

Sky’s Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said: “What the EU sources are saying is that fishing is no longer their big concern – they think that can be done.

“The biggest obstacle to a deal is level playing field competition rules.

“This is consistent with what we have been reporting all weekend.”

The “level playing field” rules concern issues like state aid – government subsidies – for business.

Meanwhile, time is running out to complete a deal.

The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is to brief European ambassadors later today and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to speak to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this evening.

Any deal must be ratified by both houses of parliament in the UK and the European parliament and EU leaders.

But if there is no deal by the end of the month then Britain will leave the single market and customs union and trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms, meaning tariffs and quotas.

Irish premier Micheal Martin warned that the situation remained on a “knife edge”.

He said there appeared to be a “very challenging issue” still to be resolved over the so-called “level playing field” rules on fair competition.

“Things are on a knife edge and it is serious. My gut instinct is that it is 50-50 right now. I don’t think one can be overly optimistic about a resolution emerging,” he told RTE.

France has already warned it will veto any deal if it is not happy and President Emmanuel Macron has indicated fears that Mr Barnier might be preparing to give too much away to achieve a deal.

The mood will not be improved by the government’s decision to return the Internal Market Bill to the House of Commons.

The legislation enables ministers to override parts of the “divorce” settlement made with Brussels, something the government has admitted breaches international law.

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MPs will vote today regarding moves to overturn amendments by the House of Lords which removed the provisions relating to the Irish border.

On Wednesday, they will look at the Taxation (pot transition period) Bill which also contains provisions which will upset the EU.

On Sunday, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost resumed talks with Mr Barnier in Brussels to try to resolve “significant differences”.

It came after an hour-long call between Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen on Saturday evening.

In a joint statement following their discussion, they said that while “progress has been achieved in many areas… significant differences remain on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries”.

(c) Sky News 2020: Brexit: ‘Significant progress’ in talks over fishing rights during trade negotiations – EU sources