Johnson: Britain can flourish strongly without a trade deal with the EU

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson affirmed that Britain "can prosper strongly" without a post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union, the day after the agreement to extend the stalled talks with Brussels.

Johnson, who agreed to extend the negotiations in a video call Saturday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, told the BBC that he believed there was an agreement “that must be completed” before Britain leaves the EU’s supervisory system in 2021.

But he cautioned that the European Union needed to understand that its government "is very serious about the need to control our own laws and regulations," including policies related to fisheries.

Britain formally left the bloc in January but remained bound by most of the bloc's rules until the end of the year under the terms of the Brexit deal.

The current 11-month transition period aims to allow the two sides to agree on their future trade relationship after nearly five decades of economic and political integration.

Nonetheless, nine rounds of negotiations ended Friday, with both sides saying that there were significant obstacles to the agreement, prompting Johnson and von der Leyen to intervene.

The two leaders, who held the last talks on Brexit in June, asked their negotiators to "work intensively to bridge the gap" between the two sides.

But concerns are mounting that travel and trade mayhem will occur if progress is not made and the resulting so-called Brexit without a deal.

"I think we can thrive well under these conditions," Johnson said.

The two sides set a European summit to be held on October 15 as a final date in order to reach an agreement that can be ratified in time to take effect at the end of December.

Reports indicate that talks could now continue for the rest of October, but British officials stressed the need to clarify whether an agreement is possible before the summit takes place.

It seems that neither London nor Brussels is ready for a radical change in their positions.

Johnson said he hoped that "the European Union will agree to the agreement we put forward."

An EU source told AFP after Johnson's call with von der Leyen that the bloc was waiting for London "to start negotiating on the major issues."

On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that the coming days will be "crucial" to achieve a breakthrough in the frozen talks, but indicated her belief that an agreement is still possible.

Britain and the European Union have not succeeded so far in overcoming the fundamental differences between them regarding fishing rights in British waters after Brexit and how to establish fair rules for the work of companies and government support.

Tensions rose this week when the European Union launched a legal mechanism in response to the British government's attempt to overthrow some of what was stipulated in the Brexit agreement last year.