EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (L) speaks with France's ambassador to European Union Philippe Leglise-Costa ahead of a meeting of the permanent representatives committee on December 7, 2020 in Brussels. EU and UK post-Brexit trade talks reached crisis point on December 7, 2020 with the outcome highly uncertain and the risk of a damaging "no-deal" still alive.(JOHN THYS / POOL / AFP) |
But talks will continue despite the tight timetable for the European Parliament to ratify an accord before the UK leaves the single market on December 31, with one source stressing that "substance will take precedence over the calendar."
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