The EU27 'sherpas' will meet again on Monday 24 April to work on the draft Brexit negotiation guidelines that the EU27 are due to adopt at a special summit on Saturday 29 April.
This is one of a series of meetings to prepare for the summit on 29 April.
The draft guidelines were presented by European Council President Donald Tusk on 31 March (see EUROPE 11759) and were slightly amended at a meeting of the 'sherpas' on 11 April, which enabled a fairly broad consensus to be reached (see EUROPE 11766) on the them.
The text inserts a few very important elements for the EU27, such as the fact that the discussions on the possible transitional agreements with the UK, once Brexit has come about, or the future relationship between London and the EU, will have to be carried out in the light of progress made.
The text has also somewhat strengthened Europeans' expectation on citizens' rights, with the guidelines now demanding that citizens affected by the UK's departure from the EU be able to exercise their rights through flexible administrative procedures.
As regards financial regulation, a reference has been added to the European Central Bank, to the European Investment Bank and to the European Development Fund (EDF). The possible consequences of the UK's departure from the EU on these two banks and on the EDF will also have to be studied.
The national ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) will work on the guidelines on Wednesday 26 April. In Luxembourg the following day, the European affairs ministers will try to finalise the text ahead of the summit on 29 April, in the presence of the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
The week will also see the visit of European Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker and his team to London on 26 April, at the invitation of British Prime Minister Theresa May. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)