Courtesy of Mish.
THE key obstacle to a reasonable Brexit negotiation is Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator.
Barnier still insists on a role for the European Court of Justice, a non-starter for UK prime minister Theresa May. Barnier also insists on an exit bill and “principles” before trade agreements start. Principles include agreement on rights of migrant, social welfare, taxes, environmental and consumer protection standards. Good luck with that.
To top it off, the EU now demands fishing rights to UK waters in return for nothing.
Queues and Shortages
Please consider Barnier warns UK of queues and shortages if Brexit talks fail.
In a wide-ranging speech ahead of Article 50 exit talks, Michel Barnier warned Britain it must agree “principles for an orderly withdrawal” before trade talks, including its financial dues and the rights of 4m UK and EU migrants.
Brushing aside one of Mrs. May’s red lines over the future role of European judges, Mr. Barnier explicitly stated the EU’s demand that interim measures “will be within the framework of European law” and the European Court of Justice. Such a transition could not allow Britain to pick and chose access to areas of the single market.
In one of the most provocative parts of his address, Mr. Barnier tackled head-on Mrs. May’s assertion that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, setting out a bleak vision of the “serious consequences” from leaving without agreement.
“More than 4m British citizens in the EU and European citizens in the UK faced with complete uncertainty about their rights and their future; the reintroduction of binding customs controls, which will inevitably slow down trade and lead to queues of trucks at Dover; serious disruption to air traffic; an overnight suspension in the movement of nuclear materials to the UK,” he said.
Fishing Rights
Also consider EU Fishing Fleet Urges Post-Brexit Access to UK Seas.
Fishing groups from nine EU countries have demanded continued access to UK waters after Brexit and warned that UK fish supplies could otherwise lose tariff-free access to the continent.
EU countries rely heavily on access to UK seas, with some vessels catching up to 80 percent of their fish there. Some UK fishing groups and politicians have demanded that Britain remove foreign vessels after Brexit to improve catches for UK fishermen.
Alain Cadec, chair of the EU’s fisheries committee, warned that it was “out of the question” for the EU to continue to allow tariff-free access for British fish “if they do not provide our vessels access to their waters”.
His comments mirror a leaked report from the European Parliament which revealed that the EU is determined to maintain access to UK waters for its vessels and will not seek to change the division of fishing quotas, which many UK fishermen find unfair.
Ivan Lopez Van der Veen, a representative of Cepesca, the largest Spanish fishing association, said: “If you don’t want to pay 30 per cent tariffs [on UK fish coming into the EU] — which is what the World Trade Organisation sets — you will have to negotiate. That negotiation should be completely tied to access to UK waters.”
“The UK has the stronger position, but is that really how you want to leave the EU? By blackmailing us on the way out?” asked Mr. Van der Veen.
Blackmail Irony
