It looks like the British government and the European Commission will soon succeed in reaching an agreement on the future trade relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union after months of difficult negotiations.
According to sources within European diplomacy, it is just a matter of a few hours, and a press conference by British Prime Minister Johnson has already been prepared. Just in time, as on January 1st the United Kingdom leaves the European market. A trade agreement prevents a hard Brexit, a chaotic split in which trade barriers would suddenly arise.
To reach a trade agreement, a number of extremely difficult issues had to be resolved. The European Union was determined to avoid unfair competition between British and European companies, since British companies would have to comply with (possibly less strict) British rules. Consider rules on state aid or environmental and food safety. Another sensitive issue was fishing: the access of European fishermen to British waters.
For a long time, it seemed unlikely that an agreement would be reached in time. Just two weeks ago, the European Commission presented an emergency plan to avoid chaos on roads, at sea, and in the air in case of a no-deal. But now it appears that an agreement is close. "We are in the final stage," EU sources say. Also regarding fishing, one of the toughest issues, the two parties have moved closer to each other.