Brexit talks hit cash impasse

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Europe

The European Union and Britain have not made major progress this week in talks about the country’s exit from the bloc and are stuck over how much Britain should pay when it leaves, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said on Thursday.

“This week we worked in a constructive spirit, and we clarified certain points, without, however, making any great steps forward,” Michel Barnier told a news conference.

Barnier said there was some movement on other elements of Britain's divorce settlement. He spoke of possibly acceding in the next two months to British demands for talks on a trade pact and a transition period after withdrawal in March 2019, if there's a political will.

Barnier said Britain had told the EU that it was not ready to specify how much it believed it should pay.

EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier (R) and British Secretary of State David Davis (L) make statements as they arrive at EU headquarters in Brussels. /AFP Photo

“Regarding that question we are at an impasse, which is very worrying for thousands of projects everywhere in Europe and also worrying for those who contribute,” he said.

Britain's Brexit minister David Davis recognized that much work was to be done, but said he was confident an agreement on citizens' rights could come soon, notably regarding how those rights would be guaranteed in courts.

AFP Photo

Davis said Britain was still pushing for EU leaders to give a green light to those talks on the future relationship when they meet Prime Minister Theresa May at an EU summit in Brussels next Thursday.

"I make no secret of the fact that to provide certainty we must talk about the future," Davis said. "I hope the leaders of the 27 will provide Michel with the means to explore ways forward with us on that."

Barnier was pressed to say in public whether he would ask EU leaders' permission to make some preliminary exploration of what a transition after March 2019 would look like.

EU officials and diplomats say he has raised that issue with governments.

However, he told the news conference that he would follow a mandate ruling out any discussion of the future before issues arising from Britain's past membership are settled and said it was important to respect the "sequencing".