EU’s 27 to set Britain tough Brexit negotiating mandate
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THE 27 European Union nations handling Britain’s exit from the bloc are to set a tough negotiating mandate for the talks, said the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier yesterday.
The discussions will center on the tens of billions in costs London would be expected to pay for the divorce.
The 27 ministers said in a statement Britain “must honor its share of all the obligations undertaken while being a member” and also “fully cover the specific costs related to the withdrawal, such as the relocation of EU agencies currently based in the UK.”
The withdrawal estimates have gone as high a 100 billion euros ($111.8 billion), a sum which British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, ridiculed, saying the EU should pay Britain for its departure.
“They will be tough. There will be moments of tension,” said Barnier of the talks.
Maltese Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech, who chaired the meeting, said “we are under no illusion that these negotiations will be complex and far from straightforward. Moreover, there is also a very limited time frame which adds pressure to an already difficult process.”
The EU’s 27 again insisted they were ready to negotiate as of today, but Britain will not be ready to enter the talks until after the June 8 snap election.
The EU nations have agreed to center on the rights of their citizens in Britain, and the British living in the EU as a first issue to settle, along with settling the bill and getting a deal on the EU border between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom’s Northern Ireland.
“The faster we find a deal on these priority issues, the earlier we will be able to start discussing our future relationship in a constructive way,” said Barnier.
Grech added “We are very well prepared for these negotiations and the remarkable thing is that we are unified at 27.”
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