Britain wants Brexit talks to get going in the fall – POLITICO

The senior U.K. official, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, added that the government was keen for the British public to start seeing the benefits of the new agreements before the run-up to the next general election.

It comes as the European Commission on Wednesday published its draft negotiating plans for the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which is intended to remove cross-channel border checks on plant and animal products by aligning Britain with EU standards.

The Commission has also published its early draft mandate on linking the U.K. and EU’s emissions trading systems. Both proposals have to be approved by member states before the EU’s executive can get down to business.

It comes as the European Commission on Wednesday published its draft negotiating plans for the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which is intended to remove cross-channel border checks on plant and animal products by aligning Britain with EU standards. | Pool photo by Denis Charlet/EPA

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of delivering the reset, on Wednesday toured the U.K.’s largest fruit and veg wholesale market in south London to speak to traders.

Barnes of the Horticultural Trades Association said: “We urge both sides to work with us and quickly, to get the detail settled and to deliver real change. The current border regime has and continues to cause uncertainty and huge cost on our members’ businesses.”

Sense of urgency

Negotiations on linking the U.K. and EU emissions trading systems (ETS), another plank of the reset, also have a sense of urgency to them. This is because the EU’s carbon border tax (CBAM) — which ETS linkage is meant to help British businesses avoid — is due to hit on Jan. 1, 2026.

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