How Money Could Unblock the Brexit Talks

by Anatole Kaletsky of Project Syndicate, 10/20/17

With talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU stalled, negotiators should shift to the temporary “transition” Prime Minister Theresa May officially requested last month. Above all, the negotiators should focus immediately on the British budget contributions that will be required to make an orderly transition possible.

LONDON – Like many divorce proceedings, Britain’s negotiations with the European Union have reached an impasse that can be broken only by compromise. The solution is for both sides to admit that a permanent new relationship cannot be agreed in the short time remaining until the Brexit deadline in March 2019.

So, instead of letting the United Kingdom crash out of the EU then, the talks should now shift to the temporary “transition” that Prime Minister Theresa May officially requested last month – and which a strong consensus among Britain’s business leaders and public now demands. Above all, the negotiators should focus immediately on the British budget contributions that will be required to make an orderly transition possible.

An agreement on a mutually beneficial transition would require some compromises from both sides. But neither Britain nor the EU would have to abandon any fundamental principles.

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© Project Syndicate

© Project Syndicate

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