BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that the
European
Union could only agree to enter the next phase of Brexit negotiations in
December if Britain provided specific assurances about its readiness to settle
financial obligations to the bloc.
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European Union leaders take part in an EU
summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Virginia Mayo/Pool
Speaking to
reporters at the end of a two-day EU summit in Brussels, Merkel said it was
“very clear” what British Prime Minister Theresa May had to do to break a
deadlock in the talks that has prevented a discussion about Britain’s
post-Brexit relationship with the bloc, known as “phase two”.
“We hope
that by December we have moved along enough to allow phase two to begin but
that depends on the extent to which Great Britain makes progress so that we can
say that it is sufficient on the core themes of phase one,” Merkel told a news
conference at the end of an EU summit.
She said
that the main obstacle was Britain’s failure so far to signal a readiness to
settle financial obligations to the bloc that EU officials estimate at around
60 billion euros.
May, under
severe domestic pressure after a botched election in June that saw her
Conservatives lose their majority, has said that Britain will stand by its
financial commitments to the EU without offering figures.
“I think it
is very clear what additional steps need to be taken,” Merkel said.
Asked about
suggestions from May that Britain could pursue a two-year transitional deal
once it leaves the bloc in 2019 in order to buy time to clinch a more
comprehensive agreement, Merkel said this was not the primary focus for now.
“The
two-year transition phase is an interesting idea, no question. But it is not
part of phase one of the negotiations,” she said. “So it is there in the room
and will be discussed at the proper time.”
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