Britain calls on EU to ‘evolve’ in post-Brexit talks

The United Kingdom’s chief negotiator with the European Union following Brexit called on the bloc to “evolve” in order to make progress in key talks.

The ongoing negotiations to hammer out vital details of the post-Brexit relationship between the EU and the U.K. have been rocky, as Britain’s top negotiator David Frost said earlier this month that “very little” progress had been made.

Mr. Frost now says that a specific mandate by the EU is not “likely to produce an agreement,” Reuters reported. Several weeks ago, he explained that the main sticking point is the EU’s repeated demand to include a set of new proposals, which he has called “unbalanced,” that are aimed at leveling the playing field between the two sides.

“So, if you are asking do, we think the EU needs to evolve its position to reach an agreement, yes we do,” Mr. Frost said Wednesday.

Britain finalized its protracted and contentious divorce from the EU on Jan. 31, more than three years after the referendum in which voters chose to split by a 52% to 48% margin. Britain and the EU have since entered a “transition period” through the end of the year to negotiate their relationship, which will have to resolve a host of long-standing agreements and rules.