Tough new Brexit haggling begins
EU PUTS PRESSURE ON WEAKENED MAY
Britain and the European Union (EU) launched a new round of fraught Brexit negotiations yesterday with Brussels pressing weakened British Prime Minister Theresa May to quickly set out her divorce strategy.
Brexit Minister David Davis travels to Brussels to meet Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, for a second round of hugely complex haggling on Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc, scheduled for March 2019.
Ahead of four days of talks this week, Frenchman Barnier warned that the “hard work starts now” following the largely ceremonial first round of talks in June, and that the “clock was ticking” to reach a deal.
The EU has demonstrated increasing confidence in recent weeks, accusing Britain of dithering over whether it wants a “hard” or “soft” Brexit more than a year after the shock referendum that propelled May to power.
Davis said the focus would be the sensitive issue of citizens rights, and that “real progress” was paramount.
“We made a good start last month, and this week we’ll be getting into the real substance,” Davis said in a statement ahead of the talks.
Barnier and Davis last month agreed on a potential timetable for negotiations towards a future trade relationship, which Britain would like to start as soon as possible.
But Brussels insists it will only start discussing the future once there has been “sufficient progress” on key issues involved in Britain’s withdrawal – an estimated €100 billion (R1.4 tillion) exit bill, citizens rights, and the border in Northern Ireland.
“On each one of these early topics, our goal is to ensure that we are all working from the same basis with shared goals,” Barnier told reporters on Wednesday.
The four days of talks are set to also address more detailed concerns such as Britain’s future in Euratom, the EU’s nuclear safety agency, and the role of the European Court of Justice, the EU’s top court.
Common ground was very much lacking last week after British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson remarked that the EU could “go whistle” over its massive Brexit bill demand, drawing a rebuke from Barnier.
“I am not hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking,” said the former European Commissioner and French foreign minister. – AFP