Ursula von der Leyen says there's been 'genuine progress on a number of important questions' in Brexit talks 'but I cannot tell you if in the end there will be a deal'. There's the 'outline of a possible final text' on security, social security, goods, services, and transport.
The Commission president says the three well known sticking points of Level Playing Field, Governance, and Fisheries remain unblocked. She says: 'With very little time ahead of us we will do all on our power to reach an agreement, we’re ready to be creative.'
There are 'still serious issues' on State Aid 'when it comes to enforcement' and also 'Significant difficulties remain on the question how can secure now and over time our common high standards on labour, social rights, the environment, climate change, and tax transparency'.
She adds: 'We want know what remedies are available in case one side will deviate in the future, because trust is good but law is better. And crucially in the light of recent experience a strong governance system is essential to ensure what has been agreed is actually done.'
On fishing: 'No-one questions the UK’s sovereignty in its own waters, but we ask for predictability and guarantees for our fishermen and fisherwomen who have been sailing in these waters for decades if not centuries.' She wraps up insisting 'the EU is well prepared for No Deal'.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
1/ During private briefings this week Michel Barnier said the UK side has been pressing for the Brexit talks to be kicked up to a higher political level but he has pushed back, fearing No 10 wants to turn the last few days of negotiations into a 'mass bargaining session'.
2/ The EU's chief negotiator sees Britain's strategy as trying to orchestrate a 'big tug of war at the end' between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen/Merkel/Macron during which the three key topics fisheries, LPF and governance would be played off against each other.
3/ The thinking goes a leader level intervention worked for the Withdrawal Agreement, with the PM and Juncker/Varadkar, so why not do it again? Barnier said he's open to a few select topics being passed upward at the very end, but the UK wants to leave as many as 30 issues open.
UK-Japan agreement includes a reference to both sides having an independent competition authority. This is something the UK side has previously resisted in talks with the EU.
The Competition chapter of the UK-Japan FTA is not covered by the agreement's dispute settlement measures, something the EU does want in its deal with the UK. But the State Aid chapter is covered by it, with the exception of one paragraph. The dispute settlement in it is binding.
The UK has argued in talks with the EU that dispute settlement measures should be limited to covering just trade in goods. So again, on state aid the UK-Japan agreement goes further than what has been proposed for a UK-EU trade deal.
Michel Barnier: 'The EU Council underscored to our friends and partners from the UK that the EU wants a deal. We want a deal that will be mutually beneficial to both parties in respect of the autonomy and sovereignty of both sides, a deal reflecting a balanced compromise.'
Michel Barnier: 'We will seek the necessary compromises on both sides in order to do our utmost to reach an agreement and will do so right up until the last day that it's possible to do so. Our doors will always remain open right up until the very end.'
Michel Barnier says the EU's 'principles' in the talks 'are fully compatible with the respect of British sovereignty, a legitimate concern of Boris Johnson's government. What's at stake in these negotiations is not the sovereignty of one side or the other.'
Michael Gove tells MPs: 'We'd hoped to conclude a Canada-style FTA before the transition ends. As things stand that will not now happen. We remain absolutely committed..but there does need to be a fundamental change in approach from the EU if the process is to get back on track.'
Michael Gove says No Deal is 'not my preferred outcome, nor is it the PM's' and that 'we recognise there will be some turbulence'. He adds: 'But we've not come so far to falter now when we are so close to reclaiming our sovereignty.'
Michael Gove says: 'It is the case Michel Barnier has agreed both to the intensification of talks and also to working on legal texts, a reflection of the strength and resolution our PM showed.'
UK negotiator Frost is asked whether Oct 15 is really a hard deadline. 'Obviously as we approach the 15th I’ll have to advise the PM on whether the conditions in his statement have been met or not and we’ll have to consider the situation at that point.'
UK negotiator Frost: 'We’ve made quite good progress so far. This is a hugely wide ranging agreement and in many areas the landing zone and the nature of the agreement is pretty clear if not exactly pinned down yet.'
Micheal Gove on EU legal action over the Internal Market Bill: 'We entirely understand the reasons why the EU feel this is an appropriate course of action for them but without prejudicing that...we feel that progress can be made through the joint committee.'
1/ EU capitals say Boris Johnson needs to get personally involved in the Brexit talks now if they're to reach a successful conclusion. They want him to get stuck into the detail and then hit the phone to key leaders. Nobody expects major progress before next week's summit.
2/ At the moment the negotiations are drifting, with steady progress being made on technical issues but none at all on the major sticking points. EU officials/diplomats insist they'll never walk away and are prepared to take the talks down to the wire in December if needs be.
3/ People here were perplexed by the PM’s performance in his recent video call with Ursula von der Leyen. On substance he 'didn't have much to say' and the main message out of it appeared to be to ‘hope for the best’. Given recent optimism on the UK side it was a 'poor result'.