LONDON — Brussels is not breaking a sweat over U.K. trade negotiations with the U.S.
At least not according to the new EU ambassador to London. “I dont feel any pressure,” João Vale de Almeida told POLITICO in an interview. “I wish good luck to our British friends.”
Britain has cultivated the narrative that opening negotiations with Washington will create leverage against the EU when it comes to post-Brexit trade. Stories ahead of the formal opening of U.S. talks on Tuesday included claims that a bare bones deal with America could squeeze better terms out of Brussels. But Vale de Almeida, who is closely involved with the Brexit trade talks, is not so sure.
“I think its important that big trading partners like the U.K. and U.S. try to deepen free trade,” he said over a video call from Brussels. “But I feel no pressure. I see no link between what theyre doing and what we are doing.”
He admitted however that Brussels will be watching the developments with a close eye “in order to protect our interests.”
The fledgling EU Embassy in London was not the only part of Brexit to be infected by the pandemic.
His zen attitude might be born from his experience dealing with Washington in the past. As EU ambassador to the U.S., he was instrumental in launching negotiations on the doomed TTIP deal, which was eventually killed off by President Donald Trump.
“They are certainly tough negotiators,” the diplomat recalled, suggesting — as most observers believe — that Britain will be hard-pressed to strike a deal with Washington any time soon. But he added, “The Brits are also tough negotiators. So its a battle of equals from that point of view.”
Meanwhile, the U.K. battle with the EU over post-Brexit trade has suffered its own setbacks. Vale de Almeida was in Brussels for a meeting when the city first went into lockdown. Still without a permanent home in the U.K. (just seven weeks after moving to London), he decided to see out the rest of the pandemic in Belgium, teleworking with his team members, who are dotted around the Continent.
The fledgling EU Embassy in London was not the only part of Brexit to be infected by the pandemic. Negotiations were paused for a month after cross-border travel was curtailed and the chief negotiators on either side were forced to self-isolate. Eventually, the talks resumed via a massive videoconferencing effort, but what was already a tight timetable has got even tighter.
Business groups harbor quiet hopes that the U.K. government will backtrack on its refusal to request an extension to the Brexit transition period, with the deadline to do so coming up fast at the end of June. But Vale de Almeida insists that a deal can still be done this year.
“Our job is to catch up, and we are determined to catch up on time lost,” he argued. “If there is a will, there is a deal.” He pointed out that the two sides have until October or November to strike an agreement.
Nevertheless, the two sides remain far apart on key issues. The EU argues that Britain must sign up to level playing field rules on state aid and environmental standards, among other things, to avoid the U.K. becoming a race-to-the-bottom competitor off the coast of Europe. London insists it will not be bound by EU rules and wants a deal like the one with Canada, which includes market access without the same strings attached.
Vale de Almeida said the Canada argument was “comparing pears with apples” because of the much shorter distance between Britain and the EU, as well as the scale of existing trade.
There is more reason for optimism over fishing. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove this week revealed the U.K. will publish a proposal paper on fisheries in the coming weeks. Britain had longRead More – Source
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