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| An official carries a Union Jack flag ahead of a news conference by Britain’s Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis and European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, Belgium July 20, 2017 |
EU and British negotiators found some common ground at the end of a first full round of Brexit talks but big differences remain over citizensโ rights and uncertainty persists over the financial settlement and the Irish border.
At the end of four days of talks in Brussels, which focused on setting out positions on key issues, the European Unionโs chief negotiator Michel Barnier said there was โa fundamental divergenceโ on how to protect the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and of Britons in the EU after Brexit.
He insisted that the European Court of Justice should guarantee citizensโ rights after Brexit.
โAny reference to European rights imply their oversight by the Court of Justice of the European Union,โ Barnier told a joint news conference with British Brexit Secretary David Davis.
He also called for more clarity on the British position on the financial settlement and on the Irish border.
Davis saw โprogressโ after talks and said the meetings in Brussels this week provided โa lot to be positive aboutโ.
But he refused to confirm that Britain now accepts that it will end up making some kind of net payment to the EU on leaving.
โWeโre a country that recognises its international responsibilities and rights and that we will seek to exercise both in the future,โ he said.
