Brussels,3 October 2020: Joint Statement by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson

“The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke today about the state of play in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

They agreed on the importance of finding an agreement, if at all possible, as a strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship in future.

They endorsed the assessment of both Chief Negotiators that progress had been made in recent weeks but that significant gaps remained, notably but not only in the areas of fisheries, the level playing field, and governance.

They instructed their Chief Negotiators to work intensively in order to try to bridge those gaps.

They agreed to speak on a regular basis on this issue.”