EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Following the eighth full round of negotiations on a new partnership with the UK, Barnier said the EU has shown flexibility on fisheries, but “the UK has not engaged in a reciprocal way on fundamental EU principles and interests.”

He said “nobody should underestimate the practical, economic, and social consequences of a ‘no deal’ scenario.” He added that he and his team will remain in touch with their UK counterparts, led by David Frost, but that the EU is intensifying its preparations for all scenarios on January 1, 2021, the date when Britain’s post-Brexit transition period ends.