The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has warned that significant progress still needs to be made in Brexit negotiations following a working lunch with his UK counterpart, David Davis.
In a statement, Barnier stressed that in the “very short time from now until October”, Brexit negotiations must make advancements in three key areas:
- Translating a joint report into legal text;
- Finalise details of a proposed transition period; and
- Clarify the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
The joint report to which Barnier referred as the initial area on which progress must be made was published on 8 December 2017. The report outlines the progress made by the two parties during the conclusion of the first phase of Brexit negotiations and sets out some joint commitments which are expected to be enshrined in the final withdrawal agreement.
What did Barnier say about the negotiations?
On a proposed transition period which would follow the UK’s exit from the EU – for which Prime Minister Theresa May has set 29 March 2019 as a prospective date – Barnier said that the European Council was ready to consider the request, subject to a number of considerations.
“May has asked to benefit from [access to] the single market and the customs union for a short period after this [date],” he explained. “The conditions are clear: everyone has to play by the same rules during this transition. Let me add one point about this transition: the certainty about the transition will only come with the ratification of the withdrawal agreement.”
Barnier also clarified that, if the UK does not remain in the EU’s single market or customs union, “barriers to trade and goods are unavoidable”. These comments were made in response to the government’s announcement that the UK would no longer be involved any kind of customs union with the EU following Brexit.
