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EU toughens up negotiation conditions

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    EU toughens up negotiation conditions

    From the FT:


    https://twitter.com/ft/status/952970811970850823

    The EU has toughened up its conditions for a post-Brexit transition deal for the UK, demanding that Britain abide by stricter terms on immigration, external trade agreements and fishing rights for nearly two years after it leaves the bloc.

    The revised “directives” drawn up by EU member states for Michel Barnier, Brussels’ chief negotiator, complicate the talks by giving him more precise instructions on several politically sensitive topics for the UK, according to a draft seen by the Financial Times.

    These include extending free movement rights and a special status to all EU citizens arriving before the final day of the transition at the end of 2020. It also requires that British ministers seek “authorisation” from Brussels in order to continue benefiting from EU trade deals that it would otherwise fall out of on Brexit day.


    Finalising a transition deal is now the most urgent Brexit issue facing Theresa May’s government after the UK prime minister secured a divorce deal at last month’s EU summit. British businesses are anxious for assurances they will be able to operate under current European law and that they will get these pledges at least 12 months ahead of Britain’s scheduled exit in March 2019.

    Although both sides accept the transition will be a “stand still” agreement that will keep the status quo in place, success is far from guaranteed and could become complicated politically by the perception Brussels is dictating terms to the UK. By tightening the mandate for Mr Barnier, the remaining 27 member states are raising the stakes for negotiations over coming weeks.

    At the behest of Poland and other central and eastern European countries, the amended document restricts the UK’s ability to apply a new immigration system to EU nationals arriving during the transition. “In particular, the provisions of the citizens’ rights part of the withdrawal agreement should apply as from the end of the transition period,” the paper states.

    This would mean individuals arriving in the UK after Brexit but before 2021 would be eligible to stay in the UK indefinitely, and for the most part could not be denied work permits under any new immigration regime.

    Other revisions tighten the conditions for Britain as it seeks to re-establish the benefits of hundreds of EU international agreements — such as the trade deal with Korea or Canada — that legally fall away on Brexit day.

    The EU changes emphasise that British ministers, during the transition, will not be able to enter agreements with non-EU countries to replace the benefits of those lost deals “unless authorised to do so by the union”. The original version had been more ambiguous about the need for permission.

    Highlighting what is likely to become one of the hardest parts of the negotiation, the text also clarifies rules for setting fishing quotas. Diplomats said the language aimed to underline that Britain’s share of catches in UK waters — fixed for decades under the “relative stability” quota arrangement — was not open to negotiation.

    Rather than a special procedure to negotiate the total catch allowed in British waters, the text says there should only be “specific consultations” with regard to fishing during the transition period, which remain “in full respect” of EU law.

    This waters down what Michael Gove, the UK’s environment secretary, saw as a more flexible EU position in the original draft. “We will be an independent coastal state in law when we leave and the arrangements for fisheries need to reflect that,” Mr Gove told the Sunday Times this weekend.

    Several other changes to the text remove ambiguities and tighten conditions. These include insisting the UK will only be invited to attend regulatory committees “exceptionally on a case-by-case basis”.

    It adds language making clear that the legal effect of EU law will be the same on Britain as any other EU member state, a sensitive point for some Brexiters. “This means, in particular, that the direct effect and primacy of union law should be preserved,” the paper states.

    #2
    so they want use of the bosses swivel chair on Thursdays as well?


    Oh an Macraloon wants us to empty the jungle as well.
    Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

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