May hails new ‘spirit as EU finally backs
gives certainty to people and businesses and gives them the clarity to plan for their future,” the Prime Minister said.
“The Council has also endorsed its guidelines for our negotiations for that future relationship.
“I believe there’s a new dynamic now in the negotiations. I believe we are approaching this with a spirit of cooperation and the spirit of opportunity as well.
“We will now be sitting down and determining those workable solutions for Northern Ireland but also for our future security partnership and economic partnership.”
Negotiating guidelines for the next stage of the talks were agreed by the 27 EU leaders after the Prime Minister had left. The guidelines call for the EU to have “as close as possible a partnership” with the UK in future, covering trade and economic cooperation as well as the fight against terrorism and international crime, security, defence and foreign policy.
But some of the details are certain to trigger intense wrangling between the two sides.
A reference to Gibraltar was added to the document at the last minute following demands from Spain for a veto over any decisions about the future status of the overseas territory in the Brexit deal.
Another clause said EU negotiators should seek to maintain “existing reciprocal access” to fishing waters. The proposal is expected to face intense opposition from Tory backbenchers who fear Britain is being tied to the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.
Ambitious
The EU document also envisaged “ambitious provisions on movement of people, based on full reciprocity and non-discrimination among member states”.
It also warned that the red lines set down by Mrs May – including pulling Britain out of the single market and customs union – would “limit the depth” of any future partnership and “inevitably” lead to frictions in trade, resulting in “negative economic consequences, in particular in the UK”.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who kissed Mrs May’s hand as they met in the entrance lobby of the EU Council HQ in Brussels, said yesterday marked a “decisive” moment in “this difficult and extraordinary negotiation”.
Addressing fellow leaders over dinner in Brussels on Thursday evening, Mrs May said it was their duty to show “energy and ambition” in the upcoming talks.
Mrs May’s negotiating team hope that a solution to keep Northern Ireland’s border with the Republic open will emerge in the context of a deal allowing trade between Britain and the rest of the EU to be as frictionless as possible.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said Ireland would seek “an agreement that keeps the UK as close to the EU as possible”.
He said: “That is the best way to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and also protect the enormous trade that occurs between Britain and Ireland and is so important for our economy.”
A majority of voters want Mrs May to “get on” with delivering the EU referendum result, according to the latest BMG opinion poll.
Fifty seven per cent agreed the Government “should get on with implementing the result of the referendum and take back control of our borders, laws, money and trade”. Only 22 per cent disagreed.