EU, UK to step up Brexit talks to try to close ‘significant gaps’ over trade deal
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of the EU’s executive, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed in a phone call on Saturday to step up Brexit talks to close “significant gaps” barring a new trade partnership.
The two sides have said this week’s round of negotiations aimed at getting a new, post-Brexit trade agreement from 2021 made some progress but not yielded a breakthrough.
The EU says a deal must be sealed by the end of the month – or in the first days of November at the very latest – to leave enough time for ratification in the bloc by the end of the year.
Johnson and von der Leyen discussed the next steps