A three-day session of talks on Brexit are to resume in Brussels today, with the first set of discussions on the UK’s future relationship with the European Union to take place on Wednesday.
The programme of talks, which were confirmed by the UK government on Friday, will see today and tomorrow’s negotiations focused on resolving the remaining issues with the withdrawal agreement.
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An outline agreement on a transition phase to the end of 2020 was agreed in March, but technical discussions are still needed to hammer out the details of the agreement in areas including the rights of the UK to attend meetings when it is observing EU rules but not able to vote on them, and the flexibility that the UK will have to set its own trade policy before the end of the transition period in December 2020.
The final day of talks on Wednesday will focus on the future of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland as both sides are keen to avoid a hard border on the island, as well as the first discussions on the future relationship, including any free trade agreement between the EU and the EU 27.
Talks will then resume in the week beginning 30 April as the discussions ramp up with less than a year until the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019.