Brexit news latest: No 'significant' progress made on negotiations since March, EU says

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
EPA
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

No real progress has been made during Brexit negotiations since March, the European Union has said.

Ekaterina Zakharieva, the chairwoman of the talks, quoted Michel Barnier at a briefing in Brussels on Monday as she made clear the Irish border issue remained a major sticking point.

Mr Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, told 27 ministers at the same meeting: “we are not there yet”, referring to the ongoing talks between Britain and the bloc.

“More work is needed to prepare for the UK's orderly withdrawal... Allow me to repeat myself: we are not there yet,” he said.

Theresa May's spokesman said the focus is on 'getting this right' rather than meeting a deadline 
EPA

Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman, however, said the "focus is on getting this right" rather than meeting a deadline.

Diplomats and officials in Brussels have raised doubts about whether the bloc and Britain will be able to mark a milestone in the negotiations at the summit of EU leaders on June 28-29.

The current schedule puts progress in June as an important step towards a final Brexit deal in October, which would leave enough time for an elaborate EU ratification process before the Brexit day.

"October is only five months from now and still some key issues related to the withdrawal agreement need to be settled. In June we need to see substantive progress on Ireland, on governance and all remaining separation issues," said Ms Zakharieva, deputy prime minister of Bulgaria which holds the EU's rotating presidency.

German, Austrian and Dutch ministers all echoed the same concern, saying Britain has not made its position clear in detail on parts of the negotiations: "The clock is ticking," Germany's Michael Roth told his EU peers.

"We need now to be making substantial progress, but that is not happening. What is worrying us in particular is the Northern Ireland question where we expect a substantial accommodation from the British side."

May's spokesman said the UK was working on two options for post-Brexit customs cooperation.

Under a customs partnership, Britain could collect tariffs on the EU's behalf. Under a second idea, for a streamlined customs arrangement, traders on an approved list would be able to cross borders freely with the aid of automated technology.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in