What Changed in a Week of Brexit Talks? Everything and Nothing
- Concessions on process allowed Johnson to return to the table
- But the same disagreements over substance aren’t resolved
Michel Barnier, chief negotiator for the EU, center, in London, on Oct. 22.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
U.K. and European Union negotiators have given themselves just three weeks to finalize a post-Brexit trade deal, less than seven days after Boris Johnson’s officials described the talks as over.
That change was driven more by process -- the EU made enough concessions about the way the talks are structured to bring the British back to the negotiating table -- than it was about substance. Big disagreements remain between the two sides, and shouldn’t be underestimated, according to officials close to the discussions.