British Prime Minister Theresa May travelled to Brussels on Monday for dinner with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker after deadlock in Brexit talks appeared to dash her hopes that a summit this week could launch negotiations on future trade ties.
Ms. May’s office said the 1630 GMT meeting had been planned for weeks. However, a dinner was not on Mr. Juncker’s agenda published on Friday, and EU officials said it had also not been on the schedule for the bloc’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who will be at the dinner along with his British counterpart, David Davis.
Florence speech
After talks with Mr. Davis last week, Mr. Barnier said negotiations were deadlocked, notably over London’s refusal to detail what it was offering to pay Brussels. This followed an attempt by Ms. May last month to revive the negotiations with a speech in Florence promising Britain would honour its EU commitments.
As a result, Mr. Barnier told European Union leaders not to launch the talks on a future relationship that Ms. May has demanded. As time ticks down to withdrawal in March 2019, concern is rising across Europe that the process may collapse.
“This is about reflecting upon Florence and the constructive way it’s been received and that we want to continue to move forward in a constructive manner,” Ms. May’s spokesman said.
EU leaders say Ms. May has been too vague in her offer of a financial settlement — something many diplomats believe is due to a fear that to agree even a very rough a figure would spark a backlash from hard-line Brexit supporters. British officials say they cannot give a figure on the final bill until they know what kind of trade agreement will be sealed during the talks.
Asked if Ms. May would flesh out details of what Britain is prepared to offer in terms of a financial settlement, her spokesman said: “The PM set out her position in the Florence speech in relation to the settlement, and that's where we are.”