France threatens veto bad deal as Brexit talks stumble to line

BRUSSELS, Dec 4: European doubts over a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain boiled over on Friday, with France threatening a veto even as intense negotiations entered what could be their final hours.
"Time is in very short supply. We are at a difficult point in the talks," Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official spokesman told reporters. "What is certain is that we will not be able to agree a deal that does not respect our fundamental principles on sovereignty and taking back control."
EU and UK negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost were locked in last-minute debates over fishing rights, fair trade rules and an enforcement mechanism to govern any deal.
But with time running out if the eventual accord is to be ratified before the end of the year and Britain's departure from the EU single market, EU capitals are getting cold feet.
"If there's a deal that isn't a good one, we'd oppose it," France's minister for European affairs Clement Beaune told Europe 1 radio, adding that "every country has the right to veto".A European diplomat told AFP that Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark share France's concerns that in the rush to conclude a deal, Barnier will give too much ground to London on rules to maintain fair competition.
"We don't want to lock in an unbalanced relationship for decades to come," he said.
"We are not going to want to have explain to our companies why they are being undercut in their market by enterprising British corporates in a lesser regulated environment."
Thus far, the capitals have remained united behind their champion Barnier, who has been battling Frost long into the night as UK premier Boris Johnson faces his own choice about whether to compromise.
"We are committed to reaching an agreement with the EU," UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma told the BBC.
"But, of course, time is short and we are in a difficult phase. There's no denying that."
"We want the EU to recognise that the UK is a sovereign and independent nation. It is on the basis of that that a deal will be done."
British officials have complained that, with the negotiations coming to a conclusion, the EU has made new demands that London agree to set up an independent body to regulate state subsidies.
In Brussels, diplomatic sources told AFP that some capitals are concerned that Germany and the European Commission are too keen to agree a deal quickly.    -AFP