May Hosts EU Leaders as Brexit Positions Harden

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday will hold her first talks with key EU Brexit negotiators, as the bloc hardens its position ahead of a summit to lay down its "red lines".


May will host European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier at Downing Street for the first face-to-face talks since her historic triggering of the two-year withdrawal process, AFP reported.

The encounter comes as the EU has toughened its strategy, making new demands over financial services, immigration and the bills Britain must settle before ending its 44-year-old membership in the bloc.

The latest draft negotiating guidelines, agreed Monday by Barnier and European diplomats, point to months of difficult talks ahead as the EU seeks to ensure Britain does not get a better deal outside the bloc than inside.

According to the document, the other 27 EU countries will seek to hold Britain liable for the bloc's costs for at least a year after it leaves in 2019 -- longer than was previously proposed.

Britain will also be required to give EU citizens permanent residency after living there for five years, in a challenge for the government, which has vowed to limit immigration.

And the guidelines recommend that Britain's dominant finance industry will not necessarily be tied to any future trade deal with the EU and that it must also stick to the bloc's rules if it wants easy access to EU markets.
  (Tasnim)
26/4/17