Member states of the European Union have set a tough negotiating mandate for talks over Brexit, reiterating their stance that Britain has to settle its debts before withdrawal from the bloc.
EU ministers met in the EU de facto capital Brussels on Monday and unanimously agreed to block post-Brexit trade deals with London until Britain settled “what it owes before leaving the bloc.”
The ministers also tightened the legal wording of the mandate for Michel Barnier, who has been appointed to lead the Brexit negotiations with the UK, to launch talks on their behalf after Britain’s June 8 election.
Barnier told reporters at a Brussels press conference that the agreement was “a demonstration of determination and confidence” backed not only by all the EU members but also by the European Commission, European Council and European Parliament.
“From the day the UK decided to leave, the EU has gone through an intense preparatory process,” he said….