The first day of official Brexit talks is over, and according to statements it appears to have been a useful session, even though the real work is only just starting. The highlights from Reuters:
- UK SOURCE SAYS GENERAL MOOD IN FIRST DAY OF BREXIT TALKS WAS "INCREDIBLY POSITIVE", MADE "AWFUL LOT OF PROGRESS" ON MANY AREAS
- UK SOURCE SAYS BOTH SIDES AGREED THE CLOCK WAS TICKING ON BREXIT AND NEED TO PUSH ON WAS IN BOTH SIDES' INTERESTS
- UK SOURCE SAYS BRITAIN STOOD BY DEMAND THAT TALKS ON FUTURE RELATIONSHIP RUN IN PARALLEL WITH TALKS ON BRITAIN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM EU
- BARNIER SAYS MEETING WITH DAVIS WAS IMPORTANT OPENING SESSION
- BARNIER SAYS CLOCK IS TICKING FOR BREXIT DEAL
- BARNIER SAYS WE MUST ENSURE BREXIT COMES IN ORDERLY MANNER
- BARNIER SAYS PROTECTION OF IRISH GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT AND MAINTAINING COMMON TRAVEL AREA MOST IMPORTANT OF IRISH BREXIT ISSUES
- BARNIER SAYS NEXT PHASE OF TALKS WILL BE ON FUTURE PARTNERSHIP
Among other things, the EU and UK have agreed on provisional dates for Brexit talks among the three negotiating groups, which are July 17, Sept 18 and Oct. 19, and will include talks on financial settlement and citizens' rights.
Reuters also notes that Britain has demanded for talks on the future relationship should run parallel with Brexit talks.
As noted earlier, here is a "simplified" summary of the ongoing EU-UK negotiations: