Europe

Home page

Europe

No quick results in Brexit talks, negotiators say

20 July 2017 00:36 (UTC +04:00)

British and EU negotiators will not announce major breakthroughs on Thursday in their public account of this week's first round of Brexit talks in Brussels, officials said on Wednesday, APA reports quoting Reuters.

"Constructive", "polite" and "a good start" were typical comments from some of those involved since Monday in detailed discussions on a range of topics; there were also frustrations on both sides and continued profound disagreement on issues such as British payments and the role of EU courts after Brexit.

David Davis, the British Brexit minister, was returning to Brussels for talks early on Thursday with his opposite number, the European Commission's chief negotiator Michel Barnier. They should give a political endorsement to the efforts of scores of civil servants and give a joint news conference on the results.

The talks involved a 98-strong visiting team from London, backed up by Brussels-based British diplomats, and Barnier's 40-strong Brexit task force, backed up by other EU officials. Participants said both sides had achieved a better understanding of the other's arguments, even if they do not agree on them.

Three more such weeks are planned by October with the aim of persuading leaders of the other 27 EU states that "sufficient progress" has been made on resolving key elements of a divorce package for Britain that they will open broader negotiations on a future free trading relationship between Britain and the EU.

On EU demands that Britain commit to paying a share of financial commitments that the Commission has estimated in the tens of billions of euros, British officials pressed for more detail on how Brussels was making its case but, for the time being, have not set out counter-arguments or other proposals.