EU concerned of UK possible bilateral trade talks

Brussels warned London on Monday it must must refrain from any formal negotiations for bilateral trade deals with third countries until after its divorce from the EU.

The UK is allowed only to discuss trade agreements with other countries as long as it doesn't formally negotiate with them before it leaves the European Union, Bloomberg quoted European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas as saying Monday.

"There's nothing in the treaties that prohibits you from discussing trade," Schinas told reporters in Brussels on Monday. But he reiterated previous remarks that EU countries can't hold official talks on future deals while still a member.

The comments underscore the delicate balance UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her government face as she prepares to meet UK President Donald Trump on Friday. The Trump administration will lay the groundwork this week for a trade pact between the US and the UK that would take effect after Britain departs the EU, a White House aide said on condition of anonymity.

With countries in the EU ceding their right to strike trade deals to the Brussels-based Commission, the UK is prohibited from pursuing its own agreements until its withdrawal, scheduled for the first half of 2019. 

Schinas quoted EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who in September 2016 said: "I do not like that member states of the European Union, including those that are still a member state, are negotiating free trade agreements. This is an exclusive matter of the European Union."

Source: MENA