For more than four years now, European media and commentators have said, the interminable Brexit saga – the endless stop-start, the succession of “crunch moments” – has been mere choreography, a bit of background drama to prove to voters on both sides that the negotiations were tough. Now, though, it is getting beyond a joke – and one side is mainly to blame, according to some. “What can the negotiators do in the coming days that they haven’t tried long ago?” asked Germany’s Handlesblatt. “The main culprit is undoubtedly Boris Johnson.” The British prime minister, the paper said, “demands absolute British sovereignty. This position is untenable. Every trade agreement presupposes a certain waiver of sovereignty, and every day Johnson insists makes it more difficult to give in”. The only hope for a successful outcome, it concluded, was that Johnson “cannot really be interested in a no deal. Because, according to his own government’s forecast, this would permanently depress UK growth by two additional percentage points”. For Die Welt, Johnson has “always insisted that Britain would not have to make any painful compromises if it left the EU. He rejected an extension of the transition period. He insists Britain will thrive with a no deal. It is difficult for him now to make the concessions necessary for a deal”. Walking away from the talks was “not an option” for the Europeans, agreed the Netherlands’ NRC Handelsblad, even if the EU’s negotiator, Michel Barnier, was now “millimeters away from what is acceptable to member states. The EU has reached its pain threshold with regard to the concessions it can make”. But it is Johnson who faces the more difficult decisions, the paper says. “The consequences of failure are greater. He is under too much pressure from the Brexiteers within his own group. Sovereignty is a sacred concept to them. Cede too much and they will not hesitate to withdraw their support.” But at the same, it added, “Johnson will also know that no deal will make his political life more difficult. He will have to answer for an even bigger economic downturn, after saying for years that a deal was a piece of cake. And that could increase support for independence in Scotland and fuel renewed instability in Northern Ireland.”. France’s Libération said Brexit had already “beaten all the popes in history”, with three years elapsing between the death of Clement IV in 1268 and the arrival of Gregory X in 1271. “The Brexit logs have been in the chimney for 1,625 days, since 23 June, and there is still no sign of white smoke,” the paper said. Libération did not dare predict the outcome of the talks. “The negotiators are armed with instructions on possible compromises – on fisheries, the level playing field, dispute arbitration. On the extent of those compromises will depend the outcome of these negotiations. But one thing is clear: despite British accusations that France is blocking progress, the European commission continues to speak with one voice.”
A lack of European trust in the British government did not help, said Le Monde. Should there be no deal, it said, “the EU expects the UK to respect its engagements in the withdrawal agreement. But Johnson is threatening to reintroduce his internal market bill, containing clauses that violate that divorce treaty”. Spain’s El País was even harsher on the prime minister. “The final chapter of Boris Johnson’s career has yet to be written, but just a year after his landslide election victory in December 2019, the lustre of the UK’s most popular politician in decades has already faded,” the paper said. “Johnson is gambling his medium-term future on three things that are beyond his control: the success of the coronavirus vaccine, an optimistic economic bounce, and the willingness of Brussels to ignore all his rudeness and finally agree a Brexit deal before the end of the year.” The Irish Times was not hopeful. “For the EU, protecting the single market from unfair competition has always been a central aim,” it said. “But for Johnson, any deal that appears to require Britain to shadow EU rules is unacceptable, which is why he sought such a narrow deal rather than one more valuable to the British economy. “Johnson needs this week’s negotiations to end in a deal. The only question is how expensive he has made it for himself – and whether it is a price he can afford to pay.”