⁍ The United Kingdom left the EU in January but the two sides are trying to clinch a deal that would govern nearly a trillion dollars in annual trade.

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⁍ The hardest issue remains fish: Johnson has insisted on taking back control over its waters while the EU wants access to the fishing waters.

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⁍ Ireland’s foreign minister said he believed Britain and the EU could reach a trade deal now the talks were back on track.

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– With less than two months to go until Britain is due to leave the European Union, the two sides are desperately trying to hammer out a trade deal that will keep the UK in the bloc. On Friday, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier will meet with Britain’s Trade Secretary Liz Truss in Brussels to try to hammer out a deal that will govern nearly a trillion dollars in annual trade before the Brexit transition period ends at the end of the month, reports Reuters. “We’re in intense negotiations with the EU—we’ve made real progress,” Truss says. “But if the EU aren’t prepared to do a deal that allows the UK to retain its sovereignty, then we will go to Australia-style terms, and I think that’s perfectly reasonable.” One big sticking point is how to handle the movement of fish between the UK and the EU. Britain wants to keep control of its waters, while the EU wants access to them. “Fish is now the thing to tackle,” a diplomat tells Reuters.