BREAKING: European Union Envoys Urge Britain to Compromise to Secure Brexit Trade Deal

Photo: Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union (E.U.) negotiators have moved to "within millimetres" of the limits of their negotiating mandate at Brexit trade talks so it is up to London to compromise if a deal is to be reached, an E.U. diplomat said on Thursday.

Some E.U. envoys said earlier on Thursday that they were hopeful that a deal could be secured in days and a British minister reported "good progress".

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government pushed ahead with two bills that would breach the 2020 Brexit treaty despite protests from Brussels.

One E.U. envoy later said substantial differences remained at the talks. Johnson's spokesman said both sides were working hard to bridge the gaps.

Britain leaves the E.U.'s orbit on Dec 31, when a transition period of informal membership ends following its official departure last January, and the sides are trying to secure a deal to govern nearly $1 trillion in annual trade.

Disagreements in three main areas - fisheries, economic fair play and settling disputes - have held up the talks for weeks, with each side blaming the other for the impasse.

Failure to secure a deal would clog borders, worry financial markets and disrupt supply chains as the world tries to cope with the vast economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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