The British government said that this week's round of informal EU trade negotiations was “beneficial.” European Commission President von der Leyen told the media that she was “convinced” that an agreement could be reached.

The British government said in a statement late Thursday that the discussions “covered a wide range of topics and made some limited progress.”

The positive voices on both sides are in stark contrast to the recent turbulence. The Boris Johnson administration presented a draft law to Parliament aimed at tearing up parts of the Brexit agreement he reached less than a year ago, and the EU threatened to take legal action to retaliate.

Even so, the UK said “there are still huge gaps in key areas, including fishing and subsidies.”

The two sides are trying to reach a trade agreement so that the post-Brexit transition period ends at the end of this year.

“We will continue to work to bridge these differences next week without compromising our basic position as an independent nation,” the UK said.

Negotiators are trying to reach an agreement by mid-October to give time to ratify it before the end of the year.