UK needs to clarify Brexit issues – Macron
2 min read
The UK needs to provide more clarity on key Brexit negotiating points, the French President has said.
Emmanuel Macron called on Theresa May to answer key questions about the Northern Irish border, the future of EU citizens living in the UK and the exit bill before a trade agreement can be reached.
In her Florence speech, Theresa May offered the EU payment for previous commitments in return for a two-year transitional deal when initial negotiations end in 2019.
In the first response by a European leader to the speech, Mr Macron welcomed her initiative, but said the British position still needed to be fleshed out.
"Before we move forward, we wish to clarify the issue of the regulation of European citizens, the financial terms of the exit and the question of Ireland," he said.
"If those three points are not clarified, then we cannot move forward on the rest."
Mrs May called for a two-year transitional period after the 2019 deadline, in which Britain would keep paying in to the EU’s budget in return for business-as-usual trade.
EU migrants could still live and work in the UK but would need to register with authorities, Mrs May said.
And she said the UK would pay into the EU budget for decisions made while it was a member, so other member states are not left out of pocket.
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