Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

EU says EU-UK trade talks face "last attempt" to fix fish

The European Union’s chief negotiator says the bloc and the United Kingdom are starting a “last attempt” to clinch a post-Brexit trade deal, with EU fishing rights in British waters the most notable remaining obstacle to avoid a chaotic and costly changeover on New Year

Via AP news wire
Friday 18 December 2020 09:07 GMT
Belgium EU Brexit
Belgium EU Brexit (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The European Union's chief negotiator said Friday that the bloc and the United Kingdom are starting a “last attempt" to clinch a post-Brexit trade deal with EU fishing rights in British waters the most notable remaining obstacle to avoid a chaotic and costly changeover on New Year.

Michel Barnier told the EU parliament he “can't say what will come out during this home straight of the negotiations," which have already come a long way in nine months of talks. He called it “a very serious and somber situation" with the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people at stake.

The EU parliament has set a Sunday night deadline on the talks since it still will have to approve any deal ahead of Jan. 1, when a transition period following the Jan. 31 departure of Britain from the bloc will expire.

“It's the moment of truth," said Barnier. “We have very little time remaining — just a few hours."

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in