Following the speech in Florence the fourth round of negotiations were eagerly anticipated by both sides. However, it would appear that less progress than was hoped was made.

It’s reported that the divorce terms were worked through and some progress on citizens’ rights was reported. On the financial settlement, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said there had been a “useful” discussion but the UK have not come up with a number. On Ireland progress was reported in some areas, while it’s understood there was some disagreement about the future role of the European Court of Justice in protecting citizens’ rights.

The EU have expressed concern that sufficient progress will not be made by the time of the EU summit in October in order to move on to the future trading relationship. The European Parliament echo these worries.