‘Divorce bill’ with EU to be settled ahead of trade talks
Proposals to guarantee citizens’ rights will be published as Brexit talks begin
THE BREXIT talks began with a major concession to the European Union over the timetable for the discussions.
The so-called ‘divorce bill’ Brussels wants Britain to pay as it leaves will be substantially settled before talks move on to future trading relations.
Brexit Secretary David Davis had been pressing for the terms of the UK’s withdrawal and trading terms to be considered simultaneously.
The rights of EU and UK citizens and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will also form part of the first stage of the talks.
Mr Davis insisted the agreement of the timetable did not show the UK was in a weak negotiating position. He said the importance of the talks was not how they start but how they finish.
“The UK has been crystal clear about our approach to the negotiation.
“The withdrawal process cannot be concluded without the future relationship being taken into account.
“They should be agreed alongside each other.”
Mr Davis said the two sides hoped they could reach an agreement of citizens’ rights “reasonably fast”.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, said discussions on trade would follow when “sufficient” progress has been made on the first phase of the talks.
He said: “It is our priority, it is citizens first.
“We want to find a way of ensuring that their rights are protected, the rights acquired up until the date of withdrawal.
“We want to protect those rights over time, throughout their lifetime, for them and for their families.”
The pair were speaking last night after the end of the first day of talks in Brussels.
Mr Barnier insisted the Brexit process was not about seeking concessions.
“It is not about punishment, it is not about revenge.
“We are implementing the decision taken by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and unravel 43 years of patiently built relations,” he said.
THERESA MAY will tell European leaders her plan to offer European Union citizens living in the UK safeguards over their rights later this week after Brussels insisted the issue must be settled before talks on future trade relations can get under way.
The Prime Minister will brief European counterparts at a summit meeting before the Government sets out detailed plans on Monday.
Mrs May has repeatedly refused to guarantee EU citizens’ rights until agreement is reached with Brussels over the future of British citizens living in Europe.
Speaking at the end of the first day of talks in Brussels with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, Brexit Secretary David Davis said there was “much common ground” on the issue.
He said: “Ever since the referendum, I have been clear that my first priority is to provide certainty to European Union citizens living in the United Kingdom, and to UK citizens resident in the European Union – and I know Michel shares that aspiration too.
“So now that the negotiations have started, we are determined to get on with the job and deliver that certainty as soon as possible.”
The UK had wanted the future of trade relations to be considered alongside other issues but the opening day of talks concluded with agreement that progress will be made on citizens’ rights, the so-called ‘divorce bill’ and border relations between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland first.
The result of the General Election and Mrs May’s loss of authority have led to suggestions that figures such as Chancellor Philip Hammond want the Government’s approach to Brexit to focus more on the economy and jobs rather than border controls and leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
But Mr Davis, the Howden and Haltemprice MP, insisted the Government’s approach would not alter.
He said: “The position hasn’t changed, we have the Lancaster House speech, the two white papers, and the Article 50 letter, all backed up by a manifesto too.
“So it’s the same as it was before.”
Mr Davis said the talks had resulted in an “ambitious but eminently achievable timetable”.
“It was clear from the opening that both of us want to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership – one that works for the UK and the EU.
“We agreed that we stand a much greater chance of success if our teams work together and that has been demonstrated today,” he said.
Mr Davis added: “Today marks the start of a journey, for the United Kingdom and for the European Union.
“There is a long way to go, but we are off to a promising start. We have taken the first, critical steps together.
“Now, we have a shared responsibility to deliver quick and substantive progress.”
M. Barnier also sought to emphasise the constructive nature of the discussions.
But more than two months after Mrs May started the Brexit process by triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and almost a year after the EU referendum result, M. Barnier warned “the clock is ticking” on the negotiations.
In an apparent reference to UK Ministers’ repeated insistence that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’, M. Barnier said: “For both the EU and the UK a fair deal is possible and far better than no deal.
“It is why we will work all the time with the UK and never against the UK.
“There will be no hostility on my side, I will display a constructive attitude firmly based on the interests and support of the 27.”
Opponents of Brexit seized on the EU’s success in imposing its timetable for the talks as evidence of the UK’s weak negotiating position.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “David Davis said the row of the summer would be over the sequencing of Brexit talks, and one day in he has capitulated.
“The man is a joker. Despite the government’s posturing, the EU was clear today it has not made a single concession to David Davis. He has been utterly humiliated.
“After Philip Hammond tried to rugby tackle his Conservative colleagues before they leap off the cliff edge on trade, David Davis has shrugged him off and dived into the abyss.”
Terms of reference agreed by both sides envisage four rounds of talks on the first phase of discussions, in the weeks starting July 17, August 28, September 18 and October 9, implying trade talks are unlikely to open until after the European Council summit in October.
For both the EU and the UK a fair deal is possible and far better than no deal. Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator.