Brexit talks to begin amid post-election fallout in Britain

The U.K. lost its first battle with the European Union over the timetable for Brexit talks as the bloc’s chief negotiator warned that the consequences of leaving will be “substantial”.

She should, Soros said, seek to keep Britain in the EU’s single market as Britain tried to extract itself.

The document released after the first day of discussion on “Terms of Reference for the Article 50 TEU negotiations” stated: “The following initial negotiating groups have been established: Citizens’ rights; Financial Settlement; Other Separation issues”.

Davis gave Barnier an original, French-language account of an expedition to the Himalayas, while Barnier reciprocated with a traditional walking stick from his home region of Savoie.

Barnier said there was agreement that the negotiators would first look at citizen’s rights, the outstanding bill Britain must pay for previous European Union commitments and the Irish border issue. “Let’s stay together, let’s not divide from each other”, she said with reference to the remaining European Union 27 and the 19 euro zone countries.

The negotiation talks are scheduled for a week in every month until an agreement is reached between the two sides.

Asked if he had made any concessions to the United Kingdom in exchange, Barnier said the talks were not about “punishment” or “revenge” and the two sides had to simply accept the “responsibility and the consequences” that came with their decisions.

May will head to Brussels later in the day for her first European summit since losing her Commons majority in the June 8 general elections, reports the BBS. She needs the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is expected to use its 10 votes to back her in exchange for a series of agreements. But her political weakening has prompted speculation that she will be forced to bend to opposing parties’ demands for a “soft Brexit”.

“The tables have turned somewhat”, said James Nixon, chief European economist at Oxford Economics.

“I think the whole process will lead to a happy resolution which can be done with honour and profit to both sides”, Johnson said as he went into a separate meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg.

“In Europe, I never have illusions because I don’t want to lose them”, Juncker said.

European People’s Party caucus leader Manfred Weber told German radio station Bayern 2 Monday: “Our big problem is that we have no picture, no idea at all what the British want”. Currently, almost half of its exports go to European Union countries.

“That’s been an important issue, we’ve wanted it to be one of the early issues that was considered in the negotiations, that is now the case, that work is starting”, May told reporters as she arrived.

“Ultimately, if the Government is really out to get the best deal for Britain, they must be open to compromise on more than just the timetable of the talks, and start putting our economic prosperity at the heart of their negotiating strategy”, he said.

Her office at Downing Street declined to reveal details about the proposals on citizens’ rights.

More broadly, Brexit talks will have to address a range of regulatory issues, including laws about worker rights, climate and agriculture. “I am certainly a determined optimist”.

Stupp is a special correspondent.