国际英语资讯:Spotlight: EU signals to take tough stance in Brexit talks_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: EU signals to take tough stance in Brexit talks

Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, will join the other 27 heads of state at the talks at the weekend.

According to the senior EU official, details of the financial agreement on British withdrawal will have to be agreed before the discussions move to what he called "phase two" of the talks and the UK's future relationship with the EU27.

The source said, "This is one of the key elements. There can be no discussions on any future relationship without real progress on this aspect of the UK's withdrawal.

"In other words, we have to sort out the immediate consequences of Brexit before moving to discussions on the future relationship."

What he calls "general statements of goodwill" will be "insufficient" and it will be for the 27 to decide, not the UK, if "sufficient progress" has been made in the negotiations before moving to the "second phase."

The source said, "This is all about damage limitation and mitigating the negative consequences of Brexit both for British people and those in the rest of Europe."

The issue of residency rights for the estimated 3 million EU nationals currently residing in the UK and also the 2 million Britons who live and work on mainland Europe is likely to be a potential sticking point in the talks and the well-placed official said this must be a "priority" in the Brexit talks.

Britain could be required to give EU citizens permanent residency after living there for five years, in a challenge for May's Conservative government, which has vowed to limit immigration.