EU leaders pressure May for answers

Looking for real proposals from British Prime Minister that leaders can sell ‘at home’

BRUSSELS — European Union leaders told British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday to match her goodwill pledges to boost Brexit negotiations with concrete proposals if she really wants to start discussing a future trade deal by December.

May used a dinner at a Brussels summit of the 28-nation bloc to push her call for urgency on trade talks and get a deal she can sell at home in the British leader’s latest attempt to reinvigorate the divorce talks.

“We must work together to get to an outcome we can stand behind and defend to our people,” May told the leaders, who left less than fully convinced.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he understood May’s desire to move things along. “I get that. I also want deals I can sell at home.”

“We still have 1 ½ years but we have to make haste,” he added.

But since a conciliatory speech by May last month, EU officials have become increasingly impatient about a lack of detailed plans from Britain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said May is making more of an effort with EU partners toward a Brexit deal, but it was “not enough.”

Rutte agreed. “We will need more meat on the bone,” he said.

Rutte was talking about the money that Britain will owe the EU for previous commitments it made once it leaves in March 2019. Estimates vary from 20 billion euros to 60 billion euros ($24 billion to $71 billion) or even more to settle commitments like longterm development projects or EU pensions.

“I’d prefer a sum, so we can negotiate about it. But if this is asking too much, then at least have a proposal of how to get to a sum. But even that she hasn’t been able to produce,” Rutte said.

At EU headquarters in Brussels, May faced 27 EU counterparts united in blocking her goal of quickly wrapping up the first phase of Brexit talks. With less than 18 months to go until Britain leaves the bloc, the negotiations are still stuck on the terms of its departure. May had hoped that postdivorce issues like trade could be on the table starting next week.