Is it crunch time already in EU trade talks?

Talks may only just have got underway but the EU is being very clear on what the UK needs to do if we wish to continue to trade with them from 1 January next year. As the Independent reports, the European Commission president has warned that Britain must follow the “rules of the game” if it wants tariff-free trade with the EU:

In a press conference to mark the end of her first 100 days in office Ursula von der Leyen said that the UK had to “make up its mind” whether it wanted to keep access.

Brexit trade talks kicked off last week in Brussels but stumbled on the issue of whether the UK would stay aligned with some EU rules as part of a “level playing field” of regulations.

EU countries are worried that the UK will deregulate and undercut the EU on standards, and say tariff-free trade can only continue if the UK signs up to certain standards on the environment, workers’ rights, state aid and product standards.

“We are aware that there are differences in approach towards what scope a future agreement should have – and if I may say so, the rules of the game everyone has to abide to,” Ms von der Leyen told reporters.

“It will be important that the UK makes up its mind – the closer they want to have access to the single market, the more they have to play by the rules that are the rule of the single market.

“If this is not the UK’s choice then they will be more distant and it will be more difficult for the UK to access the single market. So I think it’s up to the UK within these negotiations to think about the trade-offs they want to take into account.”

The current ambivalence being shown by Boris Johnson's government towards the EU is not helping. Clearly, he wants a trade deal with the United States but can we afford to ditch the economic benefits we gain from trading with the EU to secure that deal? This is the crunch time. The government need to be clear about what they actually want from these trade talks.