Foreign Desk Report
BRUSSELS: The European Union and Britain were still “very far apart in key areas” of their trade talks, a British official said after the bloc’s Brexit negotiator said on Thursday good progress was being made and only “last stumbling blocks” stood in the way of a deal.
Separately, an EU official said that, while sealing a new partnership pact between the estranged allies was possible before the end of the week, they “wouldn’t bank on it”.
The person, who spoke under condition of anonymity, added that disagreements over fisheries were not yet resolved, and that many more minor issues still required polishing.
Meanwhile, Britain and the European Union have moved closer to sealing a new trade deal but it was still unclear if they would succeed, the bloc’s chief executive said on Wednesday.
Britain and the EU are in the final stretch of talks to keep an estimated one trillion dollars of annual trade free of tariffs and quotas beyond Dec. 31, when the United Kingdom finally transitions out of the world’s largest trading bloc.
