UPDATE: EU Warns of Brexit Talks Delay On Divorce Bill: Press

Jack Duffy and Tara Oakes

     PARIS (MNI) - European authorities have warned that the next phase of

Brexit negotiations could be delayed by two months because of Britain's refusal

to engage with Brussels over the so-called Brexit divorce bill, the Daily

Telegraph reported on Thursday.

     Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, made the warning in a

meeting with EU ambassadors in Brussels, the Telegraph reported, without citing

sources.

     The EU has said it will not talk about Britain's future trade relationship

until "sufficient progress" has been made on the protection of citizens' rights,

the Northern Ireland border and the financial settlement.

     The European Commission refused to confirm the report but repeated that EU

negotiators were "ready" for further engagement with their UK counterparts to

help speed the process.

     "President Juncker has asked specifically that the Taskforce for Article 50

be available every day throughout the coming weeks to engage with our British

counterparts, should the UK wish to substantiate their position in some of the

cases where it has not happened yet," the deputy chief spokesperson Mina

Andreeva said in Brussels.

--MNI Paris Bureau; tel: +33 1-42-71-55-41; email: jack.duffy@marketnews.com

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