Two days after launching the first Covid-19 vaccination campaign in a Western country, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels on 9 December for a "last-chance dinner" with the President of the European Commission.

Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen were expected to find possible points of agreement to break the deadlock in the negotiations on trade relations between the UK and the European Union. The talks aim at avoiding a "no deal Brexit" on the eve of a summit of the heads of state and government of the EU-27 devoted mainly to the European budget and the post-coronavirus recovery plan.

At the end of the meeting, the two agreed that "the teams should immediately reconvene to try to resolve these essential issues", and that they will "come to a decision by the end of the weekend."

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic