LONDON, June 12, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The British government on Friday
said it had officially told the European Union it would not seek an
extension to the post-Brexit transition period beyond December 31 this
year.
Britain left the bloc in January but remains under EU rules until
the end of the year, as new terms are thrashed out between the two
sides for their future relationship.
London maintains it does not need more time to secure a free trade
deal, despite deadlock in the talks over key areas, and a tight
timeline made more acute by the coronavirus outbreak.
Senior minister Michael Gove chaired further talks with EU leaders
on Friday and said he had now formally stated the UK position.
“I formally confirmed the UK will not extend the transition period &
the moment for extension has now passed,” he tweeted.
“On 1 January 2021 we will take back control and regain our
political & economic independence.”
Gove’s comments came with an expected June-end deadline approaching
for Britain to ask for an extension, and just days before a top-level
meeting between the two sides.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to speak to EU Commission
president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday to assess progress on four
rounds of the trade talks.
The last round broke up earlier this month in stalemate, with no
agreement made on key areas such as the extent of EU rights to UK
fishing grounds and fair competition rules.
EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Gove “couldn’t be clearer” about
the British position, which the ruling Conservative made a key
campaign pledge at last December’s general election.
“This was the last (EU-UK) joint committee before the deadline is
expired so we take this decision as a definitive one,” he added.
He said Brussels was “pleading” for work to be speeded up across the
board to secure a “very close and cordial relationship” by the start
of 2021.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier noted that no extension had
always been a UK red line and said it was important to “make progress
on substance”.
“To give every chance to the negotiations, we agreed to intensify
talks in the next weeks and months,” he added.