European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated the EU’s stance on Brexit with Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio. He said “there will be no re-negotiations, no new negotiations, no additional guarantees in addition to those already given”. He added “we have intensively moved towards Britain, there can be no more.”
Juncker also hinted at another EU summit next week and said “my view this morning at quarter past 8 is that we will not get this through this week and we will have to meet again next week”.
Separately, both BBC and Sky reported that UK Prime Minister Theresa May will request only a short delay to Brexit in her letter to European Council President Donald Tusk today. But the actual length will only be confirmed when the letter is published.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds also said “I don’t see how a long delay gives certainty. Actually we’ve had long time already… People are a bit tired of waiting for parliament to get our act together and get the deal passed… Unless and until a deal is finalized, there remains the prospect of the risk of no deal.”
Trump to push FTA negotiations with Japan, ignoring Japan’s own will
In the U.S. Economic Report of the President released yesterday, Trump indicated he’s going to push for free trade agreement with Japan even though the latter has repeated rejected the idea. The document said that the administration intends to “enter into free trade agreement negotiations with Japan, and the EU, and with the U.K.”
The document also singled out Australia, who’s a member of Japan led Trans-Pacific Partnership, for having advantages over US exporters in Japan. The TPP is an 11-member FTA that Trump pulled the US out on his own will at the earliest stage of his presidency. The document also noted the FTA between Japan and the EU will put the US farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage.
It pointed out that “A number of international competitors, such as Australia, face much lower Japanese tariffs, so a free trade agreement with Japan could level the playing field for U.S. exporters”. An addition, “other tariffs and nontariff barriers stand in the way of U.S. goods and services exports to Japan.”
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said last month that he’s going to launch trade talks with Japan in March. But given that he’s now engaged in negotiations with China (he’s travel to Beijing next week while Chinese delegate will travel to Washington the week after), the US-Japan negotiations is unlikely to start until April or even May.
Full 700-page report here.