EU stands firm on Brexit deadline as Irish border remains unsolved
May has ten days to resolve issues if trade talks are to begin next month
Theresa May has been given ten days to offer further concessions on issues including the Brexit divorce bill and the complex matter of the Northern Irish border if she wants European Union leaders to agree to trade talks.
The Prime Minister hopes a crunch summit in Brussels next month will give the green light to move on to the next stage of the Brexit process, covering future trading arrangements and a possible implementation period to avoid a “cliff-edge” for businesses.
But talks on trade will not be allowed to begin until European Union leaders are satisfied that “sufficient progress” has been made on the first round of issues being discussed, including the divorce bill the UK will pay to Brussels and the Northern Irish border.
After talks with the Prime Minister, European Council president Donald Tusk said it was “possible” sufficient progress could be made at the December summit but remained a “huge challenge”.
“We need to see progress from UK within ten days on all issues, including on Ireland,” he said.
Mrs May acknowledged there were still issues to be resolved after talks in Brussels with key players including Mr Tusk and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mrs May also held talks with Danish premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Belgium’s Charles Michel, and Lithuania’s Saulius Skvernelis in the margins of a summit aimed at extending EU co-operation with eastern European states.
As she left a gathering in Brussels,mrsmaysaid:“there are still issues across the various matters we are negotiating on to be resolved but there has been a very positive atmosphere in the talks and a genuine
“We need to see progress from UK within ten days on all issues, including on Ireland”