Following the latest round of talks between the EU and the UK, the S&D Group is calling on the UK Government to deliver on the promises made in the Political Declaration, agreed by all sides in October 2019, to pave the way for more progress to be made towards an agreement on the future partnership.
S&D Group leader Iratxe García said:
“It was only 8 months ago that Prime Minister Boris Johnson put pen to paper and agreed to a number of important commitments for the future partnership between the EU and the UK. This includes a level-playing field and we will not accept unfair competition that may damage EU interests.
“The crucial question of implementing the Withdrawal Agreement is still very much on the table. The UK government’s ability to deliver on its guarantees on citizens’ rights and the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland will be a litmus test for trust going forward.
“Michel Barnier and his team continue to have our full support. We appreciate his commitments to transparency, as well as his determined efforts to ensure the European Parliament is not only informed, but also actively involved.”
Pedro Silva Pereira, S&D spokesperson on EU-UK negotiations, said:
“As the fourth round of negotiations comes to a disappointing conclusion, there are still too many key areas, namely on a level playing field, fisheries, police cooperation and governance, where limited constructive talks are blocking progress.
“We have been clear from the beginning: avoiding a race-to-the-bottom through unfair competition were always going to be essential building blocks towards the ambitious free trade agreement that is on offer. If the UK government’s commitment to delivering what has already been agreed is already in doubt, this raises serious questions around credibility for the future.
“With time quickly running out, we need to see sincere efforts towards an agreement in the coming weeks.”
