Brexit: UK made 'huge concessions' in deal negotiations

Brexit: UK made 'huge concessions' in deal negotiations
Credit: © Belga

The UK has made "huge concessions" in the Brexit negotiations, a French government source told AFP Wednesday.

The British negotiators agreed to give in on very important points relating in particular to fishing, said the source, which is the last point still blocking in the discussions, which could allow avoiding in extremis a "no-deal" only eight days before the final break-up.

These concessions occurred in the last 48 hours, noted this source, without specifying if they could be sufficient for an agreement or if others were still necessary.

The access of European fishermen to British waters remained the final stumbling block of the discussions on Wednesday, which were otherwise almost concluded, including on subjects that had been problematic until then, such as how to settle disputes and measures to protect against unfair competition. In spite of its low economic weight, fishing is of political and social importance for several Member States, including France, but also the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland.

British media have been running widespread coverage of Brexit issues today, after rumours that a press conference would be held at 9:00 AM Belgium time this morning. While this has been postponed, news is expected this morning as a deal comes together.

The eventual agreement is rumoured to be 2,000 pages long, with expectations that it could take experts a while to sort through what it means.

The Brussels Times


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