Britain and the European Commission are holding a third round of
talks this week, which the European Union has said must focus on
the rights of EU and British citizens living abroad, a financial
settlement and the Ireland/Northern Ireland border.
"I would like to be clear that I did read with the requisite
attention all the papers produced by the British government and
none of those is satisfactory, so there are an enormous amount
of issues that need to be settled," Juncker said in a speech to
EU ambassadors.
"We need to be crystal clear that we will commence no
negotiations on the new economic and trade relationship between
the UK and the EU before all these questions are resolved...
that is the divorce between the EU and the UK. We cannot mix
these issues up," he continued.
"First of all we settle the past before we look forward to the
future."
(Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek)
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