LONDON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Both Britons and Europeans woke up Friday to find that they seemed to be back in 2019 again: a wide gap remains between Britain and the European Union (EU) over the post-Brexit trade talks, which ended here Thursday night with no progress.
The British government has rejected the EU's demand that London abandon its lawbreaking Brexit plan to override key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement, leaving the trade talks hanging in the balance.
In a hastily arranged meeting here Thursday, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic demanded Britain to withdraw the new bill "by the end of the month" or risk jeopardising trade talks.
In response, British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove insisted the government "could not and would not" drop measures in legislation tabled earlier this week. It prompted Sefcovic to accuse Britain of an "extremely serious violation" of international law.
The eighth round of the Britain-EU trade talks and the emergency meeting both ended here Thursday with "significant differences" remaining between the two sides.
A new round of trade talks will resume next week in Brussels even though Britain has rejected the EU's ultimatum.
In fact, all Brexit negotiations are inter-linked: the Britain-EU trade talks, the process to implement their divorce deal, negotiations on fishing rights and Brussels' deliberation on British financial service.
Britain published Wednesday the controversial UK Internal Markets Bill which overrides elements of Johnson's Brexit deal with Brussels, despite a senior minister explicitly acknowledging that the plan would breach international law.
The new bill is intended to ensure Northern Ireland can continue to enjoy unfettered access to markets in the rest of Britain.
It was published after London brushed aside warnings from Brussels that breaching the treaty would prevent any trade deal from being struck.
North Ireland was one of the sticking issues in the Brexit talks last year.
This reminds the world of what was going on in 2019 about the Brexit talks: the negotiations were deadlocked with trust and time running out on both sides.
At the end of Thursday's meeting, Gove said he made it "perfectly clear" that London was not prepared to back down.
The EU said this had "seriously damaged trust" and it would take legal action against Britain. After the latest round of negotiations, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that "trust and confidence are and will be key" in the talks.
Sefcovic said the British side needed now to rebuild trust which had been "seriously damaged" by the events of the past days. The provisions in the new bill relating to the Withdrawal Agreement had to be dropped by the end of September and that the EU would "not be shy" about taking legal action if Britain refused.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set a deadline of Oct. 15 for an agreement to be reached. Otherwise he has said he will simply walk away from the negotiating table.
Currently, the prime minister faces intense pressure from Brussels and his own Tory party to scrap parts of the bill that breach international law. On Thursday night, as many as 30 Tory lawmakers were reportedly prepared to rebel over the bill.
By September last year, Johnson was preparing to face down the House of Commons (lower house of parliament) about plans encompassing a no-deal Brexit. As another series launches, Johnson also insists he "won't back down" and the status of the Northern Ireland Protocol is again being horse-traded before the final autumn deadline for a trade deal.
It is 2019 once again: London and Brussels are being locked in a clash over Brexit talks, with similar threats, similar pressures and similar dilemma.
However, hopes still remain that the two sides of the English Channel can still break the deadlock as their talks are not really collapsing at this moment. Enditem
