DUBLIN – A trade deal between Britain and the EU may be sealed in the coming days if European nations “hold our nerve”, according to Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.
Britain formally left the EU in January after a seismic 2016 referendum, but under the terms of its divorce deal struck last year remains bound by most of the bloc's rules until 2021.
Negotiations to determine the future trading relationship starting on January 1 are currently stalled on three key issues -- fisheries, regulatory issues and governance of a future pact.
Without an accord EU-UK relations will likely be heavily disrupted with trade tariffs, regulatory divergence and the end of long-standing cooperation mechanisms.
“It's the time to hold our nerve,” Coveney told Irish Newstalk radio, adding that the 27 remaining European Union member states should continue to trust their chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
“I believe if we do that, there's a good chance that we can get a deal across the line in the next few days,” he added.
“It's no secret stuff that both sides, I think, are running out of time,” said Coveney, who is currently visiting Paris to discuss Brexit with French counterparts.
Coveney said he hoped a deal would be reached but that there would be “no further extensions” and “no extra time” beyond January 1 when the Brexit transition period ends.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to be "optimistic" about striking a deal but confident about the UK's fortunes without one.
“He is optimistic but he's also always said that he is confident and comfortable that we would be OK without a deal,” Johnson's press secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters. – AFP, December 4, 2020.
