Brexit Brief 95

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke by phone on 3 October and agreed that sufficient progress had been achieved to date to justify a further month of intensive talks in an effort to break the deadlock. The ninth round of the scheduled talks had concluded on a somewhat more positive note, with both sides noting convergence on some issues. Nonetheless, the key sticking points of fisheries, the level playing field, and the governance arrangements, remain unsolved. Meanwhile, the EU has followed through on its threat to initiate infringement procedures against the UK arising from the UK Internal Market Bill, which would allow the UK to violate provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement, in particular the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

This edition of the Brexit Brief details these developments, and brings together relevant news, comment and other developments from across the EU and UK. The Brexit Brief is written by Tony Brown, IIEA Senior Fellow, on behalf of the IIEA’s UK Expert Group.

Brexit Brief 95, published by the IIEA’s UK Project Group, is published on a fortnightly basis and covers developments in the on-going debate over the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.