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Miro Cerar, the prime minister of Slovenia, revealed in an interview with the Guardian that it had proved too difficult to close the differences between the two sides in the opening rounds of talks, with the UK producing some unrealistic proposals.
In October the European council, on which Cerar sits, will decide by unanimity whether sufficient progress has been made on the three key issues of citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the Irish border, in order for talks to be widened to negotiations over future trade once the UK has left the bloc.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, reiterated his calls for such broader discussions to begin, insisting the issue of the Irish border is intrinsically linked to whatever future customs arrangement is struck with the EU.
“I firmly believe the early rounds of the negotiations have already demonstrated that many questions around our withdrawal are inextricably linked to our future relationship,” Davis said. He added: “Both sides need to move swiftly on to discussing our future partnership, and we want that to happen after the European council in October.”
Cerar – the first EU leader to publicly admit what has been increasingly feared in Downing Street – said he was awaiting a briefing from the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, but that it had become clear in recent weeks that the threshold for wider talks would not be met this autumn as had been planned.
The Slovenian prime minister said: “I think that the process will definitely take more time than we expected at the start of the negotiations. There are so many difficult topics on the table, difficult issues there, that one cannot expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place.
“What is important now is that the three basic issues are solved in reasonable time. Then there will optimism on realistic grounds. I know this issue of finance is a tricky one. But it must also be solved, along with the rights of people.” [...]
Should the second phase of talks be delayed until December or January, as Cerar’s comments seem to suggest, Britain will be left with 10 months at best to find agreement on a transitional deal to prevent a cliff edge for business in March 2019, when the UK leaves the EU. In that period they will also need to scope out how a future comprehensive trade deal might work, before any withdrawal agreement is put to the European parliament and the House of Commons.