Deep into a crucial weekend of negotiations, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for European Union and Britain

BRUSSELS — Deep into a crucial weekend of negotiations, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain, leaving both without a trade agreement that would dull the edge of a chaotic, costly economic break on New Year’s Day.

With hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake throughout the economy, the tiny sector of fisheries continued to drive a wedge between the 27-nation bloc and the U.K., highlighting the animosity that drove them to a Brexit divorce over the past four years. Britain left the bloc in January but a 11-month economic transition period ends on Dec. 31.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said Sunday that the EU is “continuing to make demands that are incompatible with our independence. We cannot accept a deal that doesn’t leave us in control of our own laws or waters.”

The almost mythical sense of Britain’s rights to rule its waves was an essential part of what drove Brexiteers to victory in the 2016 referendum. Johnson is seeking to make sure that as much as possible of the shared British waters are now returned to U.K. vessels only.

The EU has always maintained that those waters have been shared for decades, if not centuries, and insists if too many fishing rights are taken away, it will punish Britain by imposing hefty import fees to the mainland market, which is essential to the U.K. seafood industry.

The stalemate has left the overall talks inconclusive with businesses on both sides clamoring for a deal that would save tens of billions in costs. Johnson, though, could not be budged.

“We need to get any deal right and based on terms which respect what the British people voted for,” his office said.

The EU parliament needs to approve any deal before the end of the year and had set a Sunday night deadline so it could have a cursory vetting of the deal and approve it before New Year’s Day. Negotiators, however, seemed little impressed by yet another deadline when so many had already been missed during the four-year departure process.

One official from an EU coastal nation said the EU was refusing to yield more than a quarter of the fishing quotas the bloc stands to lose now that Britain is regaining full control of its waters due to Brexit. Britain is also steadfast that a 3-year transition period would be long enough for EU fishermen to adapt to the new rules, while the EU wants at least six years.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were still ongoing.

A failure to reach a post-Brexit deal would lead to more chaos on Britain’s borders with the EU at the start of 2021, when new tariffs would add to other impediments to trade enacted by both sides. The talks have bogged down on two main issues over the past days — the EU’s access to U.K. fishing waters and assurances of fair competition between businesses.

A trade deal would ensure there are no tariffs and quotas on trade in goods between the two sides, but there would still be technical costs, partly associated with customs checks and non-tariff barriers on services.

While both sides would suffer economically from a failure to secure a trade deal, most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit, at least in the near-term, as it is relatively more reliant on trade with the EU than vice versa.

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Jill Lawless contributed from London.

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Follow all AP stories about Brexit and British politics at https://apnews.com/hub/brexit

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (PIC: Leon Neal)

• Post-Brexit talks dragged on into Sunday, as they were deadlocked on fishing rights.
• Sources from both sides said that unless the other backed down on access to UK waters, Britain would leave the single market at midnight on December 31.
• EU diplomat told AFP that Brussels had made Britain its last offer on fishing and it was down now to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to decide whether he wants a deal.

British and EU negotiators had dug in their heels and were each demanding more concessions from the other as post-Brexit trade talks dragged on into Sunday, deadlocked on fishing rights.

Sources from both sides said that unless the other backed down on access to UK waters, Britain would leave the single market at midnight on December 31 without a follow-on deal on cross-Channel commerce.

“We’re continuing to try every possible path to an agreement, but without a substantial shift from the (European) Commission we will be leaving on WTO terms on 31 December,” a British government source said.

But an EU diplomat told AFP that Brussels had made Britain its last offer on fishing and it was down now to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to decide whether he wants a deal.

“If Britain doesn’t accept the latest EU offer it will be a ‘no deal’ over fish,” he warned. A European official said: “It’s very blocked.”

The tough talk came as both sides are engaged in intense – and tense – negotiations to secure a pact before the end of the month. No deal would risk chaos at EU and UK borders, where a pre-deadline rush has already caused long tailbacks of lorries.

Observers, however, noted that the fishing issue was about finding middle ground between offer and counteroffer in an economically small sector, while the much bigger other main issue, on guaranteeing fair trade competition rules is closer to settlement.

“It’s all down to numbers now,” the European diplomat said.

The EU’s pointman in the negotiations, Michel Barnier, has proposed EU fishermen giving up nearly a quarter of the value of the fish they currently catch in UK waters. Britain is understood to be holding out for getting back much more than half.

The UK has suggested this compromise last for three years before it is renegotiated, whereas Europe is holding out for double that.

“We cannot accept a deal that doesn’t leave us in control of our own laws or waters,” the UK government source said, arguing that the EU was “continuing to make demands that are incompatible with our independence”.

Fishermen ‘sold down the river’

EU fishermen fear losing any access to the rich UK fishing waters will threaten their livelihoods.

“We are in the throes of being sold down the river,” the European Fisheries Alliance said in a statement, urging Barnier to stick to protecting them.

“The shape of a deal, as currently stands would give a huge blow to the European seafood sector which is made up of more than 18 000 fishermen and 3 500 vessels with an annual turnover of 20.7 billion euros.”

Time is very short to reach an accord.

The European Parliament has highlighted a deadline of midnight (23:00 GMT) on Sunday to receive a deal for review if MEPs are to ratify it before the end of the year.

Their UK parliamentary counterparts are in recess, but can be recalled within 48 hours to do likewise.

But EU capitals are not binding themselves to the European Parliament’s deadline.

France’s European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, said talks will not be called to a halt if they drag out past Sunday night.

“We won’t do that because what is at risk is whole sectors like fishing, like sustainable competition conditions for our businesses,” he said.

‘Concerns’ Britain not ready

The urgency of reaching a deal is seen in long lines of trucks at the freight rail link through the Channel tunnel as British companies frantically stockpile.

A group of UK MPs warned on Saturday that Britain has not installed the complex IT systems and port infrastructure needed to ensure trade with the EU runs smoothly.

Some disruption is inevitable, deal or no deal, with British and European firms needing to fill out import-export, health and tax forms to send and receive goods to each other.

A deal would avoid tariffs but there would still be traffic snarls as checks on truck loads and drivers’ papers are carried out.

Even truck drivers’ lunches will come under border scrutiny: the British government warned packed ham and cheese sandwiches are banned from entry into Europe under meat and dairy restrictions that apply to non-EU arrivals.

As part of his working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on such issues as a partnership between Azerbaijan and the European Union, including trade, energy, transport and connectivity, investment, as well as the development of a new agreement that will form the legal basis of relations.

Speaking about the current situation in the region, Minister Bayramov conveyed detailed information about the 44-day Patriotic War, the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the war crimes committed by Armenia, and the targeting of civilians during this period. Informing Oliver Varhelyi about the joint statement dated November 10 and its implementation, the FM spoke about the new security framework and prospects for cooperation in the region with the cessation of hostilities.

Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi mentioned the EU’s intention to help people affected by military operations in the region. The importance of providing humanitarian assistance and, in this respect, providing this assistance, in coordination with the Azerbaijani side, to all people in need was emphasized.

The sides also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

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