Brussels, Dec. 24, (dpa/GNA) – Drawing closer to the finishing line in their post-Brexit trade negotiations, the European Union and Britain seem to have reached an agreement on contentious fish quotas, a German politician said in an interview.
Alexander Lambsdorff, from the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) and a European parliamentarian, told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that it seemed the two sides had agreed on the EU retaining at least 75 per cent of its access to British waters over the next five years.
“This is of course much more than the French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Belgians could expect,” he told the outlet.
“That was the most difficult point until the end,” he said.
After a reported breakthrough on competition clauses and dispute resolution, fish quotas remained the last sticking point in negotiations.
According to media reports, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were scheduled to speak over the phone again Thursday morning.
In the absence of a deal, a transition period will run out on December 31 and Britain will leave the bloc’s single market, facing heavy tariffs.
GNA