- Title: 'Rigid' Brexit time frame will leave things out of reach, EU commissioner says
- Date: 17th December 2019
- Summary: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (FILE - MARCH 25, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FLAGS OF EU MEMBER STATES
- Embargoed: 31st December 2019 16:39
- Keywords: Boris Johnson Britain Deadline EU European Commission European Union Free Trade Agreement Withdrawal Agreement cliff-edge situation deal future relationship
- Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002BAD7XVR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The end-2020 deadline set by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reach a deal on future EU-UK ties is 'rigid' and will limit the scope of a free trade agreement between the two, EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Tuesday (December 17).
The EU official said it could be 'very problematic' to hold negotiations and reach agreement on a comprehensive trade deal within the time frame put forward by London.
After his big election win, Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to outlaw any extension of a planned Brexit transition period beyond 2020 and use the prospect of a cliff-edge to demand a comprehensive free trade deal in less than 11 months.
The fastest major trade pact the EU ever concluded was with South Korea, reached in 2009 after two-and-a-half years of negotiation. It came into force nearly two years after that.
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