There have been few meetings, with talks about future relations and more important trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union, since its departure last January. On these sessions many signs of progress could have been noticed. Although the negotiations were intense these last few months (during the summer) and concentrated on the important things that should be decided, the chance of reaching a deal is still unsure, remaining unclear what will happen. There are, however, some areas in which a single solution can please both sides, proving that there is a chance of striking a deal in near future.

As the post-Brexit transition period, in which it still has most of the privileges of being an EU member, comes to an end at the end of the year (December 2020), there will be many changes affecting most of the British people, as well as Europeans. However, not reaching a consensus, would be disastrous for the business and economy, causing additional tension and problems in times of pandemic crisis. In practice, everything should be decided by the end of autumn, in case the ratification process is much longer and complex than expected.

Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator for the European Union, has been very confident about the expected agreement and the positive benefits of it for both sides. He has recently reported that the UK’s ambitions have been reduced and all they hope for is “low-quality, low-profile agreement". On one hand, the UK wants a free trade deal without complications and another separate arrangement on the rest of matters, but on the other hand, the EU is seeking for an explicit treaty, including everything in it. Moreover, Barnier added that the government on the island wants “to find an agreement with the EU" and this is not the first time he shares these beliefs. He even posted a tweet with the words: “I want to reaffirm the EU's willingness to reach an ambitious and fair partnership. I continue to believe that PM @BorisJohnson & the British government also want the same”

The British negotiator, David Frost, made a similar comment after the fifth consecutive meeting, that was held in London, saying the UK is "ready to consider simpler structures" than Switzerland's model, as the union was concerned about repeating such complex agreements. 

The Kingdom has been declining jurisdiction for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over their law constantly. But in Frost’s latest report, he says that "the EU has listened to the UK on some of the issues most important to us, notably on the role of the ECJ". Even though Barnier had known that one (actually the first) of the three Boris Johnson’s red lines was exactly that "no role for the European Court of Justice in the UK".

In a previous statement from Brussels, it was clearly explained that if changes in EU’s law are needed, they should be preceded by the Court of Justice and follow its rules strictly. 

"We have tried to understand how these three red lines can be squared with our commitment to a comprehensive new partnership. We made progress towards the objective of a comprehensive and single institutional framework, which must include robust enforcement mechanisms," the EU negotiator said in a statement.

Another important area, in which some progress was made, of course after intense discussions, is justice and policing. According to Frost both the EU and the UK had "continued to deepen our understanding of each other's constraints on law enforcement". 

However, there are still fundamental areas in which no settlement has been made. One of the most important things that has not been arranged since the beginning is the so-called "level playing field", which is an insurance for fair competition. In addition, Barnier made an accusation against the UK about refusing to maintain high standards and not undermining the union in laws and measures related to climate, environment, social benefits, etc. This leads to thoughts that in future the Kingdom would try to ”distort competition with us". Moreover, taking under account his statement that Johnson’s government had not provided a clear view on how they will control the “domestic subsidies”.