EU's Barnier calls on UK to be dynamic in trade talks

The United Kingdom and the European Union will have to take their negotiations to the next level in the coming weeks if they want to find a trade deal to fill the void left by the nation's departure from the bloc, said the EU's chief negotiator.

Michael Barnier called on the UK to find a "new dynamism" if the two sides are to avoid a "stalemate" that would lead to the UK trading with the bloc under World Trade Organization rules, something UK business leaders have said would be disastrous.

Barnier says in an open letter to his counterpart, David Frost, that the talks call for "constructive engagement by the UK".

He made the comment in response to an earlier letter from Frost that criticized the EU's approach to negotiations.

Experts say the letters are part of the inevitable posturing ahead of the next round of talks, which begin on June 1.

The long-running talks are aimed at finding a trade deal to formalize arrangements beyond the transitional period, which began on Jan 31 when the UK left the bloc and which ends on Dec 31.

The two sides have a full palette of options, ranging from having no deal and an arms-length relationship, to having such a close deal that the UK might appear as if it never left the bloc.

Business leaders in the UK have said they would prefer a close relationship but many hawkish members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ruling Conservative Party have said they favor an arms-length bond.

The UK government has repeatedly ruled out extending the transitional period to allow more time for talks to continue.

In his earlier letter, Frost said the EU's proposed deal "contains… unbalanced proposals" that would "bind" the UK to EU laws and standards and that it was "not a fair free-trade relationship between close economic partners". He likened it to "a relatively low-quality trade agreement coming with unprecedented EU oversight".

Barnier said in his reply that an "exchange of letters" was not the best way to negotiate.

"It cannot be a substitute for serious engagement and detailed negotiations and, in particular, I would not like the tone that you have taken to impact the mutual trust and constructive attitude that is essential between us," he wrote.

Barnier added that the UK will only get "high-quality access to the EU single market" if London is willing to "ensure that competition remains open and fair", something the EU believes requires oversight from its institutions.

He said he hopes future talks will see "tangible and parallel progress".

The BBC reported that UK Cabinet minister, Michael Gove, said earlier this week that the previous round of talks had been "constructive" but that there were still "significant differences of principle" between the two sides.

The UK government, meanwhile, published 13 documents this week detailing London's wish-list for a trade deal, citing something similar to deals between the EU and nations including Canada, Japan, and South Korea.

The Guardian newspaper reports that, within those documents, the UK has confirmed for the first time there must be checks on animals and foods entering Northern Ireland, starting in January, even on items that have come from other parts of the UK.

The revelation follows London saying in the past there would be no checks on trade crossing the Irish Sea when the transition period ends.

However, the UK says it is still keen to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and says checks will be minimal and only to ensure disease is kept out.