EU to move Brexit talks forward after praise for May
BRUSSELS: EU leaders were set to unlock the next stage of Brexit negotiations at a summit on Friday after applauding British Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce proposals.
Her 27 EU counterparts are set to agree there has been sufficient progress on negotiating key separation issues, including Britain’s exit bill and the Irish border, to move talks onto Britain’s future relationship with the bloc.
But the EU will stress that, while they will start discussing in January a post-Brexit transition, they will not begin trade talks until March as they need more clarity on Britain’s goals for life after it leaves in 2019.
After May addressed the leaders over dinner in Brussels on Thursday, they gave her a round of applause, while saying Britain had to spell out what it wanted quickly.
German Chancellor Merkel said May had made “good offers that imply that the 27 will see sufficient progress” but added that “there remain many issues to be solved and we don’t have much time”.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said May was a “formidable political operator” who should not be underestimated.
“Now two things are crucial. First is that we put the handshake of last Friday into legally binding agreements,” Rutte said.
He went on to say: “At the same time for the UK to come forward with their wishes their ideas on what the future relationship with the EU will be.”
May sealed the divorce deal with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Dec 8 after all-night talks that ended months of tortuous negotiations.
It covers Britain’s financial settlement, the future of the Irish border and expatriate rights, while the next stage will cover trade and a transition period to ease the break.
Now two things are crucial. First is that we put the handshake of last Friday into legally binding agreements. At the same time for the UK to come forward with their wishes their ideas on what the future relationship with the EU will be. Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte
“My trust in May is intact,” Juncker said as he arrived for the second days of talks.
But Juncker warned that the next phase of talks, to work out future ties with Britain, “would be much harder than the first phase, and the first phase was very hard.”
Over dinner, May was “clear about wanting to move onto trade talks as quickly as possible”, a British official said.
May told them she “makes no secret of wanting to move onto the next phase and to approach it with ambition and creativity”, adding that the transition period was a “particular priority”.
The British premier will not attend Friday’s meeting and flew home after dinner.
EU officials have warned it could take years after Britain leaves to formally sign a trade deal, rejecting claims by British Brexit minister David Davis that it could happen immediately afterwards.
British officials are hoping for a deal by March on a two-year transition out of the bloc, during which their relationship would largely stay the same.
A trade deal will be a tougher period, with options including following the model of a recent EUCanada trade deal, or Norway’s membership of the European Economic Area. — AFP