Brexit: With clock ticking, first round of talks start in Brussels

Brexit Secretary David Davis launches a first round of negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union on Monday when he meets the EU’s Michel Barnier for four days of talks between their teams in Brussels.

A month after a first meeting where the two exchanged gifts inspired by a shared passion for hillwalking and spoke of the mountain of complexity they must climb, the Frenchman will press Davis to agree to Britain covering substantial British financial commitments and offer more detail on other British proposals.

With little more than a year to settle divorce terms before Britain leaves, deal or no deal, on March 30, 2019, the 27 other EU national leaders want British Prime Minister Theresa May to rally her divided nation swiftly behind a clear, detailed plan that can minimise economic and social disruption across Europe as its second biggest economy cuts loose from the continent.

Davis and Barnier will shake hands for the cameras at the European Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters at 9:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) before a first full session of talks.
“We made a good start last month, and this week we’ll be getting into the real substance,” Davis said in remarks prepared for delivery ahead of the meeting. …read more