Theresa May’s chances of securing a deep free-trade deal with the EU were dealt a blow when Stefaan de Rynck, the main adviser to the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, stressed that the rules of the single market required far more than her chief proposal – a mutual recognition of standards. May claimed in her speech last Friday that the UK could negotiate a future trade relationship based on mutual recognition of standards overseen by a third party court, made up of EU and UK nominees. Such principles were neither empty or legalistic dogma, he said, but fundamental to the integrity of the single market and autonomy of the EU. He also claimed EU businesses, faced by a choice, “are more concerned with maintaining the integrity of the EU single market than any loss of access to British markets”, implying EU business is in no mood to press the commission to compromise in the talks. The UK has ruled out being an EEA member since it would require the UK to accept the free movement of people.

Source: The Guardian March 06, 2018 00:54 UTC