STRASBOURG, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Tuesday which judged that insufficient progress had been made in ongoing Brexit negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Britain.
Adopted overwhelmingly by 557 votes in favor to 92 against, with 29 abstentions, the resolution notes that despite ground being made on critical negotiating points. These include citizens' rights, the northern Irish border and Britain's financial obligations.
"We have not yet reached sufficient progress today in order to undertake with full confidence the second phase of negotiations, first on what would be a possible transition period and, next, a discussion on the framework of our future relationship," Barnier said in an opening to a plenary debate.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker opened the debate by referring to a "conciliatory" speech made by British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sept. 22 in Florence, where she made several concessions for continued negotiations.
Members of European Parliament (MEPs), however, in their resolution, noted that it was "vital that the commitments undertaken by the prime minister translates into tangible changes to the United Kingdom's position and concrete proposals accordingly, so as it speed up work during the first phase of the negotiations."
"Speeches are not negotiation positions," Juncker underlined before the vote.
Parliamentarians also made it clear that negotiations over a transition period, called for by May in her Florence speech, as well as any framework for a future relationship between the EU and Britain; would not be possible before the first phase of talks has seen sufficient progress.
A next round of talks is scheduled for next week, prior to the October European Summit on Oct. 19 and 20, in which European leaders will assess the progress of negotiations, taking into account the European Parliament's official position in Tuesday's resolution.
A majority of British citizens voted on June 23, 2016, in favor of their country leaving the EU. The British government made the decision official according to the mechanisms established in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29, 2017, launching the negotiation process with the bloc.
If the EU and the UK do not reach an agreement, and if no agreement on the prolongation of negotiations is made, Britain will automatically leave the bloc after the established period of two years on March 30, 2019. In the case of this eventuality, London would be able to negotiate with the EU according to rules established by the World Trade Organization.
