The European Union’s Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Wednesday (20 May) that Britain was not automatically entitled to any benefits that the bloc had previously granted to other partners on trade.
As the two sides attempt to negotiate a new post-Brexit trade and political partnership, London’s chief negotiator David Frost published a letter on Tuesday accusing Brussels of denying it trade benefits the bloc previously granted others.
“There is no automatic entitlement to any benefits that the EU may have offered or granted in other contexts and circumstances to other, often very different, partners,” Barnier said in his reply.
“The UK cannot expect high-quality access to the EU single market if it is not prepared to accept guarantees to ensure that competition remains open and fair,” Barnier said regarding the main sticking point in talks about so-called “level playing field” safeguards.
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