EU leaders unanimously agreed on tough negotiating guidelines for Brexit talks with the UK, suggesting they will demand that Britain agree on payments to the EU before considering any new trade deal. The gathering in Brussels last Saturday was the first EU summit since UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty tostartthe UK’s departure from the EU. 

(Source: AFP/VNA)

When formal negotiations between the EU and the UK begin in June, the British government will be told it needs to resolve key issues such as citizens’ rights and an estimated 60 billion euro divorce bill before any talks on a future trade deal can begin. British financial institutions will have to adhere to EU rules if they want easier access to EU markets.

The EU leaders defined citizens’ rights as the “first priority of the negotiations”. The rights of EU and UK citizens mustbe protected when the UK formally leaves, which at this point looks as if it will be in March, 2019. This means that any EU national who has been living in the UK for five years atthat point will be protected. That’s not an easy mission as the May government is pursuing a policy of restricting immigration. The UK is not eager to accept a 60 billion euro bill, either. 

European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU’s demands are not a negotiating tactic, but the only possible approach to Brexit negotiations.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May at an event in London on April 28, 2016 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

After the UK hinted at a hard Brexit, which could involve the UK refusing to compromise on issues like the free movement of people, leaving the EU single market, and trading with the EU as if it were any country outside Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said British politicians are still under the “illusion” that the UK will retain most of its rights and privileges after it leaves the EU. Merkel said the UK cannot have same rights as member states nor negotiate new trade relations before agreeing to pay its bill. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the EU doesn’t want to weaken Britain but also doesn’t want the rest of Europe weakened. One day after the Brussels summit, Prime Minister May stood firmly by her negotiation plans, saying no deal is better than a bad deal. Last week she accused the EU of setting a barrier against Britons, adding that this approach only causes uncertainty and instability. Brexit Secretary David Davis aknowledged that Brexit negotiations will be the most complicated the UK has ever faced.      

Meawhile, 27 EU countries pledged that they will negotiate with Britain as a unified block, following the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.