The tense situation in the Brexit negotiations – no agreement in sight yet

Now it is an acute situation, but it is also a somewhat tense situation, says Halberg, adding that the tone between the two parties has become increasingly “turbulent”.

Great economic values ​​are in jeopardy as the European Union and the United Kingdom now enter the final stage of negotiations on a trade agreement. And time is short. According to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, there must be an agreement by October 15, otherwise the UK will formally leave the European Union on January 1 next year without an agreement, which is called a hard Brexit.

The negotiations are slow

However, negotiations are slow and there is no deal in sight at the moment.

The ends are far apart, says Anna Halberg.

According to Hallberg, the drawbacks are, among other things, fishing, as the British want to increase their shares in the waters surrounding the country. But it is also a question of the rules that should apply to companies operating in the UK – should the same rules apply to all companies, or should UK companies be granted certain benefits?

If the two do not agree, this is something that risks hitting it hard, not least against all Swedish companies with operations in the UK.

However, Foreign Trade Minister Anna Halberg says that so far there is room for compromise and that the willingness of both parties to reach a deal is too great to work. However, the uncertainty is high and Swedish companies operating in the UK must prepare for the worst.

When asked how likely she was to succeed in forging a deal together, she answered:

I would say the chance is 50-50.