The College of Commissioners has sent a recommendation to the Council to open Article 50 negotiations, following on from the political guidelines adopted a few days ago. The negotiating directives focus on:
- safeguarding the rights and status of citizens and their families;
- agreement on the principles of the financial settlement (before anything else);
- not undermining the Good Friday agreement or creating a hard border in Ireland; and
- solutions on dispute settlement and the governance of the withdrawal agreement.