Business and union leaders from throughout the E.U. and U.K. have come together for the sake of Brexit.
The leaders are calling for “pace and urgency” when it comes to negotiations over U.K. leaving the E.U.
The Need for “Measurable Progress”
The U.K.’s Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) as well as the counterparts of those groups in the European Union, BusinessEurope, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), are asking the British government and the E.U. to work toward “measurable progress” in Brexit negotiations.
The groups were asking that when the U.K. and E.U. leaders attended a European Council meeting last week, they “put economic interests and people’s jobs, rights and livelihoods first.”
Together, the groups represent around 45 million workers employed by about 20 million employers across the United Kingdom and European Union.
“Pace and Urgency”
The groups released a joint statement in which they stated: “We are calling on the UK government and the EU to inject pace and urgency in the negotiations, bringing about measurable progress, in particular a backstop arrangement to avoid a hard border in Ireland.”
It went on to read that: “Decisions will be needed in June and October to finalise the withdrawal agreement and the transitional arrangement, and put economic interests and people’s jobs, rights and livelihoods first.”
The groups were hoping to make a difference in the June 28 and 29 meetings between U.K Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Council. Further meetings will continue among the other 27 European Union members. That said, the British P.M. will be excluded from those particular meetings. There, Michael Barnier, E.U.’s chief Brexit negotiator, provided updates on the talks.
The Problem
The groups are hoping to overcome the current challenges faced by businesses in both the U.K. and the remainder of the E.U. There remains a lack of agreement regarding regulatory alignment between the U.K. and the E.U. As a result, employers are incapable of planning ahead.
The hope is that constructive negotiations will start to occur very shortly so that businesses and employees, alike, can begin to understand their futures beyond Brexit Day.