Latest round of Brexit talks ends with little progress
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By CGTN's Mariam Zaidi
The EU and Britain offered few compromises at their second round of Brexit talks that ended on Thursday, and the pound fell on worries that British ministers were prepared to walk away without a deal.
The second round of Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK kicked off in Brussels on Monday. Whereas the first round a month prior had been an exercise in scheduling all future talks, this latest round was the moment for substance. Over the past four days, the two sides went deep inside the core issues of Brexit itself.
The matters at hand were civil rights, the divorce bill the UK needs to pay the EU and the issue of the Irish border. Both sides agreed that these matters needed to be gotten out of the way before they moved onto other problems.
Michel Barnier, Chief Brexit Negotiator of the EU receives David Davis, British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. /Photo by European Commission
Michel Barnier, Chief Brexit Negotiator of the EU receives David Davis, British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. /Photo by European Commission
Things got off to a warm start between the two lead negotiators – the UK’s David Davis and the EU’s Michel Barnier on Monday with the two men sharing a few jokes and a handshake.
In the pre-talks press conference, the UK Brexit Secretary said it was important for them to make real progress now. But he left shortly after uttering those words. The Brexit Secretary said he had more pressing issues of government in London.
But it was possibly the most lampooned moment. The EU side sitting with papers stacked high, had many asking if the British had come ill prepared.
Michel Barnier, Chief Brexit Negotiator of the EU receives David Davis, British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. /Photo by European Commission
Michel Barnier, Chief Brexit Negotiator of the EU receives David Davis, British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. /Photo by European Commission
Tuesday and Wednesday passed with little fanfare or information on progress. But rumblings from sources within the EU Commission suggested things were not going very well. The EU was yet to receive any figures from the UK on estimates of their financial obligations to the EU.
On Thursday the two negotiators re-emerged to a packed press room at the European Commission.
For David Davis, progress had been made. In his words, both sides had a better understanding of where the other stood on the three key issues.
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and British Secretary of State David Davis addressed the media after a week of negotiations. /VCG Photo
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and British Secretary of State David Davis addressed the media after a week of negotiations. /VCG Photo
But it was quite obvious that Michel Barnier did not see it that way. A bone of contention was the European Court of Justice. The EU wants it to remain as the court of referral in any dispute with the UK, whether the issue is over citizen rights or otherwise. Barnier also said they wanted the UK to present a proposal on their financial settlement to the EU.
As Round Two ended on Thursday with seemingly little progress, it seems that the negotiations were never going to be straight forward. Brexit is a complicated process to undo a 40-year-old relationship – a divorce of epic proportions, with both sides looking for the best deal possible.