With the addition of a global pandemic to the mix, Brexit has now cemented its legacy as one of the most grueling and challenging agreements to have ever existed, with no current sight of a light at the end of the tunnel.
Arguably the single most important event of the European Union’s short history was overshadowed by an unexpected global emergency in the form of COVID-19, ensuring Brexit’s transformation into a never-ending deadlock.
Nearly four years ago, Britons voted that they wanted to leave the European Union and therefore started a slow and painful negotiation phase that almost entirely occupied U.K. politics.
Following a Prime Minister change, elections and incalculable damage caused by extreme political divisiveness in the region, the troublesome period finally concluded on Jan. 31 of this year.
Ex-member Britain and the EU then entered a 11-month transition period to find common ground on new trade arrangements. The time course was widely criticized by many to be insufficient and the talks that kicked off at the beginning of March proved to be unfruitful, with clear fundamental disagreements between two stubborn fronts.
In addition to all these problems, the world was then abruptly paralyzed in mid-March, halting progress entirely.
As Brexit became an afterthought, many wondered when trade talks would resume. They did last week, and the incident now looks to be even more complicated than it ever was, with the addition of coronavirus restrictions on physical meetings.
According to diplomats and officials in the bloc's hub Brussels who spoke to Reuters, new trade arrangements from next year are at an impasse due to disagreements and the viral crisis.
"There are plenty of minor technical details where we could find solutions. But on the fundamental goals each side is trying to achieve – the differences are enormous. Things cannot move without a political push. And it's missing" a diplomat claimed following the negotiations that took place last week.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned that London had to budge to bridge gaps for a deal to be sealed in the little time available.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson countered on Monday that the London team was ready to keep talking, "but that doesn't make us any more likely to agree to the EU's proposals in areas where they are not taking into account the U.K.'s status as an independent state."
As further negotiations were announced in June, time is now quickly running out. Johnson has ruled out any chances of extending the transition period, as he looks keen on keeping the pressure on the EU, something he has been successful at until now.
As Britain is on track to become one of Europe’s worst-hit countries from the coronavirus pandemic, the circumstances have changed drastically, and Johnson’s traditional way of negotiating by not budging and forcing compromise from the opposition might backfire. Physical meetings are currently unavailable, which slows the process significantly. Deaths from COVID-19 had already topped 20,000 by April 17, including a fast-rising toll in care homes.
There has been no progress in talks on these so-called level playing field provisions, according to the EU sources, or on guarantees for personal data protection as well as human rights.
From its side, Britain has refused a request by the European Commission for an office in Belfast to allow EU experts to monitor controls on the sensitive Irish border.
The tight deadline calls for cooperation now more than ever, and the current trajectory risks putting both sides in economic jeopardy in the possible scenario of a relatively modest free trade agreement.
The world has also started to suffer from the long-lasting effects of the coronavirus; a sloppy Brexit trade agreement on top of that would be lethal for both sides.
A breakthrough is desperately needed to avoid the looming disaster that awaits, although there is no sign of it at the moment.