UK PM Boris Johnson refuses to pay £270 mn to EU for coronavirus recovery fund

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to cough up £270 million demanded by the European Union for coronavirus recovery. The Conservative leader has been at loggerheads with the 27-member bloc over the sum and has been insisting to cut down the amount amid bitter trade talks.

In April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had unveiled a £2.7 billion recovery fund to help EU members fight the impact of the pandemic. While Britain has left the bloc, it is still liable to pay a share for this year’s budget under the terms of Brexit deal.

A Downing Street spokesperson reportedly said that the government will meet its obligations through the Financial Settlement but it does not intend to go beyond what it has agreed in the Withdrawal Agreement. The refusal to pay the current proposed amount could further bitter the relations as the ongoing trade talks have hit a dead end.

'No substantial progress'

On June 5, Britain and the EU finished the fourth round of negotiations without any major breakthrough. EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said in a statement that the UK is “backtracking” from its commitments made before the post-Brexit talks started in March. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Barnier has said that “no substantial progress” has been made in the roundtable talks.

David Frost, an EU adviser to British PM, said in a statement that the fourth round of negotiations was a little shorter than usual and more restricted in scope. He claimed that the talks have been positive in tone but added that progress remains limited.

Read: UK Announces New Post-Brexit Global Tariff Regime Aimed To Simplify 'complex EU System'

Last month, Frost criticised the 27-member bloc for demanding access to UK fishing waters saying it is incompatible with Britain’s future status as an independent coastal state. He said that the UK is fully committed to agreeing to the fishing provisions in line with the Political Declaration but can not agree on a deal that is “unbalanced” and against the interests of the UK fishing industry.

“It is hard to understand why the EU insists on an ideological approach which makes it more difficult to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” said the UK’s chief negotiator.

Read: UK Laments ‘very Little Progress’ Towards Post-Brexit Deal After Latest Round Of Talks

(Image: AP)