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Brexit negotiations yield 'progress' on Common Travel Area but little headway in other aspects

European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, at a media conference with British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis at EU headquarters in Brussels. Picture by Virginia Mayo/AP
European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, at a media conference with British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis at EU headquarters in Brussels. Picture by Virginia Mayo/AP European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, at a media conference with British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis at EU headquarters in Brussels. Picture by Virginia Mayo/AP

The European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator has said talks with the British government have yielded "genuine progress' on Britain and Ireland's Common Travel Area.

Michel Barnier also acknowledged there had been some "fruitful" discussions on the issues surrounding the relationship between the Republic and the north.

However, he bemoaned the lack of headway on the other substantive issues being considered in the negotiations and said the two sides were still "quite far" from being in a position to begin discussions on future trade arrangements.

At a joint news conference with Britain's Brexit Minister David Davis, Mr Barnier said that no "decisive progress" had been achieved after the third round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels lasting four days.

The UK wants to begin trade talks as soon as possible but Brussels insists that discussions about the post-Brexit relationship can only begin once "sufficient progress" has been made on the arrangements for withdrawal – including on the so-called divorce fee.

"At the current state of progress we are quite far from being able to say that sufficient progress has taken place, sufficient for me to be able to recommend to the European Council that it engage in discussions on the future relationship between the UK and EU at the same time as we would, during the course of 2018, go on working on finalising the exit and withdrawal agreement," Mr Barnier said.

But Mr Davis insisted there had been "some concrete progress" and suggested Mr Barnier was playing down the level of progress.

"Our discussions this week have exposed yet again that the UK's approach is substantially more flexible and pragmatic than that of the EU, as it avoids unnecessary disruption for businesses and consumers," he said.

Speaking in Dublin after a meeting with British Chancellor Phillip Hammond, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the pair had reflected on the two countries' "positive bilateral relationship".

The minister said he had underlined to Mr Hammond the importance of making sufficient progress on citizens’ rights, financial matters, separation issues and "the unique Irish issues".

"I urged the chancellor to listen to those who stand to be most negatively impacted by Brexit across these islands," Mr Coveney said.

"I shared with him some of the concerns that I have heard in my conversations, north and south, with business and community representatives and other stakeholders, about the pressures and risks that the UK withdrawal from the European Union raises for them."

The minister repeated the Dublin government's desire for the UK to remain in the Customs Union and the Single Market.

Last month a UK government position paper on Ireland said there would be no new infrastructure or additional personnel deployed along the border after Brexit.

The British government also highlighted the importance of upholding the Good Friday Agreement and safeguarding the Common Travel Area, which enables free movement between Ireland and Britain.

The paper also advocated continued peace funding for the north and border counties, which has amounted to nearly £1.4bn over the past 20 years.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said the British Brexit plans have been exposed as "unworkable and unrealistic" and he described the UK government papers as "confused and contradictory".

"In relation to Ireland, the British government said it is committed to safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement, opposing an EU frontier in Ireland, and upholding Irish citizens’ rights," he said.

"However, the position of the British government on leaving the Customs Union, Single Market, EU Court of Justice, and refusing to deal with the long term future of the European Convention of Human Rights directly contradicts their commitments on Ireland."