December 14, 2020 9:01 am
Talks to secure a free trade deal between the UK and the EU will continue today, even after a self-imposed “deadline” for reaching an agreement ended yesterday (Sunday, December 13).
Both sides had agreed last week that they would conduct intensive talks up to yesterday, but a joint statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated that talks will continue.
In yesterday’s statement, the two leaders said: “We had a constructive and useful phone call this morning. We discussed the major unresolved topics. Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days.
The EU and UK have agreed to continue negotiations to secure a Brexit deal, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced.
On Sunday, the Commission president had a “constructive and useful” phone call with Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, where they discussed the outstanding stumbling blocks to a deal.
“Our negotiation teams have been working day and night over recent days and despite the exhaustion after almost one year of negotiations and despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we both think that it is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile.
Live export proposals stop land bridge
Proposals from the UK government to ban the live export of farm animals in England and Wales could close a transport route from NI to continental Europe.
While the plans do not directly apply to NI, they aim to stop all livestock transiting through England and Wales for fattening or slaughter elsewhere. It would effectively close the so-called “land bridge” route from Ireland, through Britain and on to continental Europe.
DAERA chief vet Robert Huey said that dairy bull calves moving from Ireland to Europe were traditionally shipped direct and did not pass through Britain.