LONDON/BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructed their negotiators to resume trade talks on Sunday in a last ditch attempt to bridge significant differences.
Acknowledging the distance in their positions, the leaders’ decision to resume talks that had stalled over three of the thorniest issues suggests both sides still believe they can secure a deal governing almost $1 trillion of trade a year.
But it was not clear whether either had changed their positions to allow a breakthrough that has proved elusive since Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 and entered a transition period with most rules unchanged that runs until the end of the year.
In a joint statement, the two leaders said that while recognising the seriousness of their differences, “we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved”.
“No agreement is feasible if these issues are not…