+ A
A -
AFP
Luxembourg
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator said on Tuesday he was ready to intensify talks with London but warned"it takes two to accelerate", ahead of a crucial summit this week.
Michel Barnier said the two sides still had"a lot of work to do", even after a short-notice working dinner between Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday.
With fears growing that negotiations on Britain's exit from the bloc in 2019 could end without a deal, May and Juncker agreed at the dinner to"accelerate" efforts to reach an accord.
Barnier said it was vital to maintain this"constructive dynamic" but stressed the UK must do its part to speed up progress in three key areas: citizens' rights, Ireland and London's exit bill as it leaves the bloc.
"I already said three weeks or a month ago that I am ready to accelerate the rhythm of the talks but it takes two to accelerate," Barnier said as he arrived to brief EU European affairs ministers meeting in Luxembourg.
"It is very important to understand that time is going by very quickly. The clock is ticking very fast."
EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are due to decide whether or not negotiators can move on to discussing post-Brexit trade ties with Britain.
Barnier said the crucial threshold of"sufficient progress" on the three main issues had not yet been reached, adding further weight to the idea the EU will postpone their decision to a summit in December. The EU leaders are set to agree at the summit to launch internal preparatory work on the transition and future trade deal so they can move to the next phase quickly in December, a draft summit statement said.
