What counts as ‘sufficient progress’?
The Brexit talks look way behind schedule . The EU has repeatedly warned the U.K. that the two sides must make “sufficient progress” on citizens’ rights, the border between the two Irelands and a financial settlement before negotiations can turn to a trade deal. October had been penciled in as a possible moment to switch topics, but the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, thinks that timeframe is unlikely, according to three people familiar with the matter. Barnier is proposing to extend the first stage of the talks for a few months, although he hasn’t completely excluded a deal by October. He and his U.K. counterpart, David Davis, want to meet more often to speed things up, Politico reported. Any delay would increase the risk of Britain leaving the bloc in March 2019 without a full exit package — already in doubt — or even a trade deal with the EU. By Land or By Sea Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar wants the Irish sea to become the post-Brexit border