On December 8, 2017, the European Commission recommended to the European Council that “…sufficient progress has been made” in the first phase of the negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK), which is required to satisfy the guidelines set out in April 2017 by the European Council.
In a press release, the European Commission stated that negotiators of the European Commission and the UK have made sufficient progress on the three priority areas of EU citizen’s rights, Ireland/Northern Ireland, and the financial settlement. Once the European Council agrees that sufficient progress has been made, the negotiators will begin drafting a withdrawal agreement and possible transitional arrangements.
The European Commission’s press release can be found here:
