UK-European Union Returns To The Discussion Table On Trade Worth IDR 14,147 Quadrillion

Photo illustration (Rocco Dipoppa / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructed their negotiators to resume trade talks on Sunday, December 6. This is a last resort to bridge the significant differences between the two parties.

Acknowledging the distance in their positions, the leaders' decision to resume stalled talks over three of the most difficult issues shows the two sides still believe they can secure a deal that governs nearly $ 1 trillion ($ 1 trillion) in trade a year.

But it is unclear whether the two have changed their positions to allow for a breakthrough that has proven elusive since Britain left the European Union on January 31 and entered a largely unchanged transitional period that runs through the end of the year.

In a joint statement, the two leaders said that while acknowledging the seriousness of their differences, "we agree that further efforts should be made by our negotiation team to assess whether they can be resolved."

"There is no proper agreement if this matter is not resolved," they said after speaking for more than an hour on Saturday, December 5. "We therefore instruct our chief negotiators to reconvene tomorrow in Brussels. We will speak again on Monday night."

The talks were suspended on Friday, December 4 because of the latest difficulties in months of negotiations that have barely moved on three areas of the dispute - fisheries, ensuring fair competition guarantees and a way to resolve future disputes.

Sources from both sides said that France's demands for fishing rights in British waters remained a major issue, and some politicians in Johnson's Conservative Party suggested that EU (EU) officials should convince French President Emmanuel Macron to support the deal.

An EU official said the break in talks was about charade rather than substance. "Each side needs a little drama to sell this."

Johnson, the figurehead of Britain's campaign to leave the EU, must be able to convince Brexit supporters that he has achieved a new breakthrough, reclaiming what he called during last year's election campaign of state sovereignty.

Von der Leyen does not want to offer too much to London for fear of encouraging other member states to leave and also has to deliver a deal that does not alienate any of the 27 countries.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin welcomed the decision to continue the talks, saying on Twitter: Every effort must be made to reach an agreement.

If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, a five-year Brexit divorce will end up falling apart as Britain and Europe grapple with the huge economic costs of the COVID-19 outbreak.

UK and EU negotiators broke off trade talks on Friday to call on their leaders to try to narrow the dispute and get a deal after a week of negotiations failed to bridge significant differences between the two sides.