UK and EU officers locked in last-minute negotiations over post-Brexit reset deal | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset goes right down to the wire simply hours earlier than the prime minister is to host Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa in London.

British and European negotiators will work in a single day to hash out a deal earlier than the prime minister seems at a press convention alongside the European Commission and European council presidents on Monday.

Downing Street sources mentioned there are “outstanding issues on both sides”.

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“Negotiations are going down to the wire and a deal is not yet done… conversations will continue overnight,” an official mentioned. EU ambassadors have been reportedly assembly in Brussels on Sunday to conform to any additional compromises on both facet.

It got here after an obvious breakthrough within the talks emerged over the weekend, with British travellers to Europe set to be allowed to make use of EU passport queues and e-gates to chop down on time spent queueing.

When the leaders meet on Monday, the PM can also be anticipated to set out how younger folks will be capable to stay and work throughout the continent as he unveils the outcomes of the post-Brexit reset.

But contentious points similar to European entry to British fishing waters and the pliability of the UK’s youth mobility scheme have held up talks all through.

After months of talks with EU counterparts, the prime minister will host European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa in London.

At a day press convention, he’ll set out a spread of areas the UK and Brussels have agreed to work extra intently on – similar to meals requirements and the linking of Britain and the EU’s carbon buying and selling schemes.

The summit is the fruits of a appeal offensive launched by Sir Keir shortly after he entered Downing Street, which he has vowed will enhance the economic system, create jobs and strengthen Britain’s borders.

Major breakthroughs from the talks embody the settlement of a youth mobility cope with the EU, just like preparations already in place with nations together with Canada and South Korea. It will permit younger folks to stay and work freely between the UK and EU member states for quite a few years.

Another aspect of the deal that emerged over the weekend is the settlement for British travellers to be allowed to attend in EU passport queues and use e-gates when arriving on the continent. Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds on Sunday promised the transfer would reduce the period of time travellers spend queuing when touchdown in Europe.

“I am sure we can all agree that would be sensible,” he informed the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Sir Keir can also be anticipated to have gained entry the UK to be allowed to entry a significant European defence fund – below which EU nations will spend 150bn euros shopping for air defence programs, drones and different army gear.

He has been warned by Brexiteers and the Conservatives in opposition to “betraying Brexit”, with the Tories likening the deliberate youth mobility scheme to a return to freedom of motion. But the PM has caught rigidly to his stance, that Britain won’t return to free motion, the one market or the customs union.

Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds on Sunday careworn that any deal on a youth mobility scheme with Europe must be “smart and controlled” and can be “absolutely consistent” with the Government’s immigration coverage, a minister has mentioned.

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He informed the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “It’s about a smart and controlled scheme.

“As of at this time we’ve got already 13 youth mobility schemes with different nations, no person is remotely suggesting that that’s freedom of motion with these nations, it completely is not.”

The Liberal Democrats have called for Labour to take a more ambitious approach to relations with Europe, returning to the customs union.

And, on the eve of the summit, former armed forces minister Sir Nick Narvey said Brexit had left Britain with “billions less to the treasury, to our public services, and to our flatlining economy”

Sir Nick, chief executive of the European Movement UK, added: “We are five years in – do we want another 10 years of economic havoc, or do we want to take a sensible, responsible path towards undoing the damage that Brexit has done.”

Mr Thomas-Symonds additionally mentioned Britain can be prepared to align itself with EU guidelines in some areas as a part of the reset.

He informed the BBC the UK would align with the EU “the place it’s in our nationwide curiosity to align on widespread requirements to verify we get far simpler commerce”.

“That’s what we did in the US deal where we wouldn’t compromise on our food standards and it’s exactly that same pragmatic approach for jobs and growth here in this country we are taking in these negotiations,” he added.

The EU-UK summit comes within the wake of Sir Keir placing important commerce offers with India and the US.