London: British chief negotiator David Frost said that he was “disappointed” and “surprised” that the conclusions at a summit of the European Union (EU) said that the regional bloc is no longer committed to working “intensively” to reach a future partnership with Britain.
“Disappointed by the conclusions on UK/EU negotiations. Surprised EU is no longer committed to working ‘intensively’ to reach a future partnership,” Frost tweeted on Thursday, pointing out that intensive talks had been agreed with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on October 3, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Also surprised by the suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come from the UK. It’s an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation,” Frost said.
He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out UK reactions and approach on Friday in the light of his September 7 statement.
Johnson said last month that a future trade deal needs to be agreed by mid-October to enable it to be approved ahead of January 1, 2021.
After EU Summit discussions on Brexit on Thursday, EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he will continue intensive talks in the coming weeks and the EU hopes to reach a deal with the UK, but not at any price, urging Britain to agree to a level playing field for access to EU market.
