May seeks ‘ambitious plans’ for Brexit talks at EU summit
Not enough, say European leaders
BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday that she wanted EU leaders meeting in Brussels to set out “ambitious plans” for Brexit negotiations in the coming weeks.
“We will be looking at the concrete progress that’s been made in our exit negotiations and setting out ambitious plans for the weeks ahead,” she said as she arrived for the two-day EU summit.
“I particularly want to see an urgency in reaching an agreement on citizens’ rights.”
She urged the EU to break the deadlock and move forward with Brexit talks, asking the bloc’s leaders to respond with “urgency” on easing the fears of their citizens living in Britain.
EU leaders welcomed the proposal aimed at unblocking Brexit talks, but said concessions to ease the fears of EU citizens living in Britain were not enough.
They said there was more work to be done, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel describing some “encouraging” signs that could help pave the way for a discussion on future trade ties at the next EU summit in December.
The 27 other EU leaders are due to decide whether there has been “sufficient progress” in the first stage of Brexit talks, and if they can move on to discussing Britain’s future trading relationship.
But after five rounds of negotiations there remains a deadlock, notably on the question of Britain’s financial commitments, and the decision is expected to be delayed until the next EU summit in December.
She is hamstrung by demands in her own party for her to walk away unless the EU agrees to moving the talks forward to discuss trade, and Germany which does not want to be left with a large bill when Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019.
“We’ll ... be looking at the concrete progress that has been made in our exit negotiations and setting out ambitious plans for the weeks ahead. I particularly, for example, want to see an urgency in reaching an agreement on citizens’ rights,” May told reporters earlier.
But she avoided questions about increasing the amount Britain is willing to pay when it leaves the EU, instead referring back to a speech last month in Italy when she outlined an offer of around €20 billion ($24 billion) to try to improve the tone.
“That speech ... set out that ambitious vision and I look forward to us being able to progress that in the weeks ahead,” she said.
The prime minister made a speech on Brexit in Florence last month, offering some concessions on the money and the rights of around three million European citizens living in Britain.
In a letter directly addressing European citizens on Thursday, May said Britain was within “touching distance” of a deal on guaranteeing their future, and vowed again that anyone living lawfully in Britain would not be asked to leave after Brexit.