Macron threatens to VETO Brexit trade deal if Barnier offers UK significant concessions

By Tony Winterburn • Published: 05 Dec 2020 • 7:00

Thousands of British tourists face French nightmare as vaccine passports come into force. image: Twitter

Macron threatens to VETO Brexit trade deal if Barnier offers UK significant concessions.

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron is threatening to veto a Brexit trade deal between the UK and Brussels if European negotiators make too many concessions. France has joined five other EU states to warn Michel Barnier, the bloc’s lead Brexit negotiator, not to give too many concessions to the UK in an effort to secure a trade deal. Emmanuel Macron is particularly concerned over future fishing arrangements and has instructed EU negotiators to stand firm.

France has been joined by Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark who all have large stakes in Britain’s fishing waters. The six countries want the EU to keep its existing access to UK fishing waters, but Britain is determined to limit access to its sovereign waters. The matter has been a key stumbling block in the negotiations over the past few months.

Meanwhile, as wary France threatened to veto a bad deal, European Council president Charles Michel said the UK had “choices to make” over the final stalling points, while British ministers again insisted the EU must recognise UK’s sovereignty.

And with just days left to secure a deal and tensions already high in Brussels, Mr Johnson’s government announced it would bring two bills in possible violation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement before the Commons next week, which it claimed was necessary to prevent a border in the Irish Sea. Mr Barnier reportedly told EU envoys such a breach of trust would plunge the talks into irreparable “crisis”.

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