LUXEMBOURG: Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday urged London to meet what he sees as its promise to compete fairly with Europe as both sides gird for a tough talks on a post-Brexit relationship.

In the upcoming trade discussions, Europe`s top concern is that Britain, which has just split with the EU, will choose to deregulate certain strategic sectors of its economy to gain an advantage over its neighbours.

`We heard (UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson)last Monday explain that he wanted a free trade agreement with the European Union while reserving for the British the right to diverge from European rules on competition, state aid, social protection or the environment,` Barnier said after a meeting in Luxembourg with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

`We respect the British desire to reappropriate their rules, standards and laws: it is a sovereign choice. But we must be clear: the political declaration, which was agreed word for word, line for line, with Boris Johnson last October, remains and will remain the foundation of all negotiations,` he added.

Barnier was referring to the joint political declaration, a wish list for the future that was agreed alongside the EU-UK divorce deal, but is not legally binding.

London and Brussels will have to negotiate `strong guarantees to ensure fair competition and high common standards,` Barnier added in his first comments since Johnson laid down his red lines for the upcoming talks.-AFP