EU Releases Draft Text of Negotiations With UK, Suggests Virtual Negotiations Due to Coronavirus

The European Commission published a draft legal text for a future agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom, detailing a range of trade issues including rules of origin, sanitary issues, technical barriers, customs facilitation and more, the commission said in a March 18 notice. Although negotiations scheduled in London this week were canceled due to the coronavirus response measures, both sides are “exploring alternative ways to continue discussions,” including video conferences, the commission said. It added that “substantive work on the legal texts” will continue in the coming weeks.