Brexit trade negotiations are expected to finally begin after the withdrawal agreement Boris Johnson negotiated with the European Union clears Parliament sometime in January. The Prime Minister insisted he will seek to have the talks kick off as soon as possible to ensure a deal is in place by the end of the transition period in December, effectively giving the British Government 11 months to come to an agreement with the bloc. But former German Ambassador to the UK Thomas Matussek warned time for talks could be significantly cut short as the parliaments of all EU27 must ratify the withdrawal agreement before the future trade relationship with Britain can be discussed. 

Speaking to the Today programme, Mr Matussek said: “Ursula von der Leyen will make clear to the Prime Minister even this one year we have is not really a year, we’re talking about six months.

“First of all, the mandate – you will have that in late February and then you will need three months to ratify any deal in the 27 Parliaments of the continental EU.

“That, in the end, gives you six months which is extremely unbusinesslike. Especially if you keep in mind the Prime Minister said he does not want a close regulatory alignment.

“For the EU it’s clear you cannot have access to the internal market if you don’t apply certain rules.”

JUST IN: Farage exposes Labour candidate as most ‘aggressive and unpleasant’ person he has ever met

Times for the ratification of an international treaty vary from parliament to parliament and talks could suffer further delays should any EU member state object to the deal.

In 2016, the EU failed to adopt a new comprehensive trade deal with Canada, the so-called CETA, after the Wallonia region of Belgium objected to the ratification. The opposition was later resolved and Belgium gave its backing to the deal.

Mr Matussek also insisted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will once again underline the importance of creating a “level-playing field” between the UK and the rest of the EU as he dismissed suggestions an agreement could be easily found because of the current alignment between the two areas. 

He continued: “You need a level-playing field. For example, tax rules, tax avoidance, the question of environmental standards, which is very important for Ursula von der Leyen as it is the main issue of her tenure.

READ MORE: von der Leyen already in weaker position than Juncker as PM visit looms

“If you don’t apply them, then I don’t think the EU can give you access to the internal market where different rules apply.

“It’s a give and take, it will not be very easy to negotiate that and that’s why, right from the beginning, the EU said they will not start with the nitty-gritty but with certain goals to avoid coming to an impasse early in the talks.”

Mrs von der Leyen is set to meet with the Prime Minister in Number 10 on Wednesday. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier will also be attending the meeting.

Mr Barnier expressed concerns over the protection of the rights EU citizens living in the UK have in a letter addressed to Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay ahead of his visit. 

DON’T MISS:

Boris set for HUGE showdown with Von Der Leyen aftershock EU letter leak [LIVE]
Lib Dems’ ‘hideous’ attempt to cancel EU exit sparks FURY with voters [REACTION]
Dan Walker slams Brexit Secretary for dodging no deal probe [VIDEO]

The Government has confirmed freedom of movement will end after Brexit and Britain’s three million EU citizens can apply for “settled status”.

The EU Settlement Scheme is open for EU citizens and their relatives, plus those from the European Economic Area (EEA) countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as well as Switzerland.

A commission spokesman said: “This meeting is taking place at a very specific moment in the phase in which the withdrawal agreement is being ratified in the UK, it’s not taking place at a point of time when the trade negotiations have started.

“The meeting is to discuss holistically the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and to look forward to look forward to the year ahead in all of its dimensions.”

Source: Read Full Article