Despite Christmas truce, EU, UK still fight over Brexit deal

BRUSSELS (AP) — One year after the Brexit trade deal was supposed to end acrimony between the European Union and the departed United Kingdom, both sides showed Friday that theirs is still a relationship tainted by bad blood and accusations of bad faith.

They did postpone talks on their continued deep-seated differences into the New Year, a welcome respite since their trade negotiations last year slipped deep past countless deadlines and into Christmas Eve before an awkward compromise was found.

But on a day when the 27-nation bloc was counting on some positive feedback for what it saw as a breakthrough proposal to regulate medicine trade in Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom but also part of the EU's trading system — it got a cold shoulder instead.

In a 13-point statement rife with complaints about perceived EU foot-dragging, ill will and sleight-of-hand in Northern Ireland, U.K. Brexit negotiator David Frost concluded: “It is disappointing that it has not been possible to reach either a comprehensive or worthwhile interim agreement this year.”

His EU counterpart, Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic shot back from the bloc's Brussels headquarters that “if the UK would reciprocate our efforts, our energy and our ambition we bring to these discussions we could be much more advanced by now.”

Frost said that suspending parts of the Brexit agreement under the so-called Art. 16 procedure was still very much on the cards.

“We remain ready to use the Article 16 safeguard mechanism if that is the only way to protect the prosperity and stability of Northern Ireland,” he said. Experts say it would only be a small step from such a suspension to a full-blown trade war between the two sides.

Making matters worse Friday, French authorities announced they...