Some unexpected good news has come from the front of trade negotiations between London and Brussels. It seemed that the matter had been settled and the parties had agreed on a no-deal Brexit scenario. However, both negotiating sides are now sharing one hope that the trade conflict can still be solved amicably. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen made a decision to intensify the trade talks due to "persistent serious divergences." Mr. Johnson pointed out that the parties agreed progress had been made but considerable differences remained, including fishing and the so-called "level playing field". Both sides told their key negotiators to "work intensively" in order to bridge those "significant gaps." Starting on Monday, the parties will double their efforts to reach an agreement. With little time left until the end of the year, the sides should hurry if they really want to establish good relations. Otherwise, London and Brussels will have to trade according to the WTO rules, applying all trade tariffs and quotas.
