BY BEN KERRIGAN
Britain is in a hurry to establish an agreement to establish the rights of both European living in Britain and British nationals living in Europe.
Britain is in a hurry to establish an agreement to establish the rights of both European living in the UK and British nationals living in Europe.
The rush has emerged following the Brexit outcome of last month’s referendum that has left millions in Britain and other EU countries in limbo.
However, EU authorities are insistent in holding off all talks until Article 50 is formally signed. British foreign Secretary, Philips Harmond expressed a strong interest in commencing talks now.
“We’re ready. We’re ready to talk about this issue because we realize it touches directly on the lives of a lot of people”.
If our colleagues in Brussels are ready to talk about that issue separately from other issues, I think we would be ready to engage”. He added that the government was ready for a deal very soon, even though the timing was tight.
The fuss about rushing a deal is understandable, but not feasible.The simple reason being that Britain cannot really justify striking a deal about citizens rights whilst outside the EU, because of the immediate complications that can arise.
EU leaders will need to evaluate all the potential consequences of guaranteeing rights for current EU citizens in Europe, and will already be in the process of doing so.
Britain will also be undertaking a similar process, but cannot be sure how achievable a workable deal will be.
Negotiations are a good idea, but president of the EU commission, Jeans Claude, has rejected the possibility of any form of informal negotiations over the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU until Article 50 is invoked.
A presidential ban has been imposed on EU officials holding discussions with Britain until the formal process begins. “No notification, no negotiations”, the president of the EU. commission asserted. This means all efforts by Britain for talks are in vain.
This kind of-of rhetoric from the president of the EU Commission raises more concerns for UK leaders, who are keen to negotiate the full implications of Brexit before formally quitting the European Union. This is why there is a rush for Britain to secure an EU deal.