Brexit talks face moment of truth, says European Council president

Talks on a trade deal between Britain and the European Union face a moment of truth ahead of a meeting of EU leaders next week, European Council president Charles Michel said on Thursday.

Mr Michel was speaking in Dublin after talks with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, about the ongoing Brexit negotiations. He urged Britain to put its cards on the table, saying the EU needed clarity about their position.

“The coming days are crucial. This is the moment of truth. There is only one week to go before the European Council,” Mr Michel told journalists.

“This is a challenging situation. We think we need more clarity and we will see if it is possible to make real and concrete progress,” he said.

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“The EU is doing its utmost to find an agreement with the UK, but not at any cost.”

Mr Martin said “the mood appears to have changed”.

“There has been more intensified engagement . . . but mood is one thing; it does need substance to follow the mood. One needs concrete outcomes from the negotiations, and positions need to change. I think Europe has given good indications over the last while and they need to be reciprocated,” he said.

“I have been very consistent from the outset that the logical outcome of this in terms of the citizens that we represent is to have a comprehensive free trade agreement absent of quotas and tariffs.”