The fourth round of talks wound up yesterday with mixed results apparently. The atmosphere at the post talks press conference was noticeably warmer and I suppose that in itself was something. Davis seemed to think real progress was made but Barnier was more measured and in the question session at the end said there were still stumbling blocks on the role of the ECJ and warned outstanding issues could take "weeks or months" to resolve.
Barnier is quoted as saying, "I think it’s positive that Theresa May’s speech made it possible to unblock the situation, to some extent, and give a new dynamic to the situation. But we are far from being at a stage - it will take weeks, or maybe even months - where we will be able to say ‘Yes, okay, there has been sufficient progress on the principles of this orderly withdrawal.’
Davis' closing statement is HERE and The Guardian's summary of the press conference is HERE. Barnier's statement is HERE
Davis' closing statement is HERE and The Guardian's summary of the press conference is HERE. Barnier's statement is HERE
Some think the chances of trade talks beginning anytime soon, as the UK hope, are slim (HERE) while an article in The Times (HERE) seems to show Mrs May's Florence speech was actually choreographed with and even partly written by Brussels so perhaps some sort of political fudge will enable talks on trade issues to begin sooner than anyone thought. Of more interest will be the reaction of Brexiteers in cabinet to learn that the EU is coordinating it all and even dictating terms (assuming the reports are true). Johnson may yet resign and people like IDS and the European Research Group may upset everything and force a general election. Who knows?
The EU parliament have drafted up a resolution (HERE) to be voted on next week during the Conservative party conference, that concludes "sufficient progress" has not been made. MEPs will have a decisive vote on the agreement when (if?) it's finally settled so their opinion is important.
Barnier is still insisting the ECJ retains jurisdiction over EU citizens rights and he said this is still a stumbling block. For Brexiteers it is a matter of supreme importance although most people in this country would probably never notice the difference. EU citizens who came here did so with the right to appeal to the ECJ, a right they will lose under UK proposals, even though we have repeatedly said they won't lose any rights. And nothing again on the intractable Irish border question.
Although in Florence May said we would "honour commitments" made during our membership, the British side, according to Barnier's statement "explained also that it is not in a position yet to identify its commitments taken during membership". Amazingly, this is six months after triggering Article 50. I have heard Brexiteers say we shouldn't pay anything at all but now we seem to have given the EU a blank cheque. This is going to amount to billions of pounds but the PM seems not to have got any sort of calculation of how much it amounts to. Apparently the UK is now going away to work out what we think we committed to. This is after we spent three hours during the third round of talks challenging the very idea that we owed anything at all. Anyone who still thinks we are in a strong position should consider this.
Time was always going to be short yet we have wasted six months getting virtually nowhere. We are watching history being made - but in a factory with no quality control and in the most shambolic way possible by clumsy, ham-fisted idiots. Future historians will never believe it.
