On Wednesday, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, together with Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded in principle the negotiations on the Comprehensive agreement on investments (CAI). In parallel to the EU-China institutional meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron also met with President Xi.

European Union’s top officials on Wednesday formally signed the long and tough fought-over post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom. The formal sealing of the document paves the way for normal trade relations between Britain and the European Union, AP reported. British House of Commons also approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.

A few hours before the Christmas Eve, the EU and the UK reached a long-awaited post-Brexit trade agreement. At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday afternoon, EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced that it was worth fighting for this deal. “We now have a fair and balanced agreement with the UK,” she told the media.

All in Brussels and London are waiting with bated breath for the good news of a Brexit trade deal. A press conference is expected on Thursday.

The Commission threw Britain a lifeline on Tuesday after it became stranded in Covid-19 isolation, recommending that EU members roll back sweeping border closures to allow freight to resume and let people return home for Christmas, news wires reported.

The EU is considering a fresh proposal on fishing rights from the UK as PM Boris Johnson aims to secure an 11th-hour trade deal. The latest suggestion from Britain would see the EU reduce the value of the fish it catches in UK waters by about a third. Last week the UK was insisting the EU accept a 60% cut.

Post-Brexit trade talks are continuing on Monday after negotiators failed to reach an agreement over the weekend, news wires reported. Michel Barnier and David Frost met in Brussels on Sunday, but key issues remain unresolved. The European Parliament said talks needed to have ended on Sunday in order for it to ratify a deal by 31 December.

British cabinet minister Michael Gove said today the chances of the UK and EU agreeing a post-Brexit trade deal are "less than 50%", the BBC reported. Earlier, the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted "good progress" had been made on a deal. But Gove told British MPs "regrettably the chances are more likely we won't secure an agreement".

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Thursday that “good progress” was being made in UK talks, but that “last stumbling blocks” stood in the way of sealing a new trade pact, news wires reported.

Britain and the EU have moved closer to sealing a new trade deal but it was still unclear if they would succeed, the EU Commission said on Wednesday. “I cannot tell you whether there will be a deal or not. But I can tell you that there is a path to an agreement now. The path may be very narrow but it is there,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament.