Brexit Bulletin: Still on speaking terms

Follow Us Get the newsletter What's happening? Michel Barnier is on his way to London again to resume intensive daily discussions. Talks will start again in London on Saturday amid warnings from British and European officials of big disagreements that could scuttle any deal, Ian Wishart and Nikos Chrysoloras report today. Brexit deadlines may be an elastic concept, but time is definitely running out to agree, ratify and implement an accord before the U.K.'s transition period expires at year-end. The next few days will be critical, and both sides will need to step up the pace. Talks slowed almost to a halt in recent days after one member of the EU negotiating team tested positive for Covid-19, forcing face-to-face discussions to be suspended. The EU and U.K. are still at loggerheads over three issues that have dogged the negotiations since they began: the level playing field, how any deal will be enforced, and fishing rights. Each side says the onus is on the other to make a decisive move if a deal is to be reached. Yet for all the posturing – and a threat by Barnier not to come to London – the two sides are still talking, with the likely impact of a no-deal outcome looming over the negotiations. That's a positive sign. So, too, is the lack of time. In past EU negotiations, both sides have held out until the last minute before reaching a deal, a tactic that helps them to put pressure on each other and marginalize any political opposition to any agreement at home. We may then, at last, be approaching the moment of decision. In private, officials are optimistic a positive outcome can be reached – but getting there will depend on the next few days in London. Brexit in Brief Goldman Sachs will start trading out of Paris Carmakers warn of a £55.4 billion ($74 billion) no-deal hit Britain's food supply is under threat from Christmas and Covid A deal will probably not cover the issue of pricing pollution Irish sausages could be caught up in the trade-deal tangle Beyond Brexit AstraZeneca's vaccine muddle is a reputational risk How 53 countries are coping with the pandemic Inside China's secret plan to hit net-zero emissions by 2060 The world's biggest offshore wind park will be built in the North Sea Expats are snubbing London, Paris and Hong Kong Iceland wants to restart tourism, but only for the wealthy   Watch Bloomberg Quicktake, our new streaming news service with a global view and an informed take. Click here for the latest maps and data on the spread of coronavirus. Sign up here for our coronavirus newsletter, and subscribe to our podcast. Want to keep up with Brexit? You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition. Like getting the Brexit Bulletin? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and gain expert analysis from exclusive subscriber-only newsletters.   Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can't find anywhere else. Learn more.   You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Brexit Bulletin newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022