20 July 2017•Update: 21 July 2017
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
A second round of Brexit talks between the U.K. and the EU ended Thursday with Brussels urging Britain to give more clarity on issues such as citizens’ rights and financial matters.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, told a news conference the parties had made good progress in areas where the British position was clear.
However, there were still differences on guarantees over EU citizens’ residence rights and how the Common Travel Area will be maintained with the Republic of Ireland.
On the last day of the four-day talks, Barnier said there remained “fundamental” disagreements over citizens’ rights.
However, he added there had been some areas of agreement about how Britons living abroad and EU nationals living in the U.K. should be treated after Brexit.
The U.K.'s Brexit Secretary David Davis said the U.K. had put forward “a fair and serious offer” on citizens’ rights.
Davis said a joint paper would be published on Thursday on areas of convergence and on issues that have to be addressed in future rounds, adding he agreed with Barnier about the “need for shared certainty”.
Both officials accepted the need to address the financial settlement -- the so-called divorce bill -- and underlined “robust” discussions.
Davis said he “will not enter into a negotiation in a press conference” but “last week the government published a statement saying Britain is a country that recognizes its rights and responsibilities”.
“A clarification of the U.K. position is indispensable for us to negotiate and for us to make sufficient progress on this financial dossier, which is inseparable from the other withdrawal dossiers,” Barnier said.
“What we want -- and we are working on this -- is an orderly withdrawal for the United Kingdom, that’s decided. An orderly withdrawal means accounts must be settled,” he added.
Asked about compromises by the EU, Barnier said: “The EU is not in a game of making concessions, or asking for them.
“It was the U.K. that decided to leave the EU and that is a serious decision”.
The negotiations will continue for about two years; the U.K. is expected to leave the bloc in the second half of 2019.
