EU leaders will discuss the Brexit issue at a summit on Thursday and Friday. At that time, they will express their views on the progress of the negotiations so far. EU negotiators hope that “sufficient progress” will be a rationale for starting trade negotiations with Britain.

In response, a German government official pointed out on Wednesday (10/18) that Germany believes the Brexit negotiations have achieved a great deal, and Berlin is optimistic about further progress in the negotiations.

The German official said, “The current assessment is 'not enough',” but emphasized that not all of the issues affecting Britain's March 2019 Brexit need to be resolved before future relationships can be discussed.

The official added: “It is important to us that there has been a lot of progress in the area of civil rights. We expect government leaders to give us strong hints to prepare internally for the second phase — future relationships.”

The official also said, “This major question about the future of Britain and the EU is far greater than the current financial dispute. I think everyone knows this, so I'm sure we'll be able to find a solution.”

The Brexit negotiations are currently at a standstill, making the future of Britain's trade position uncertain. If the EU summit does not show clear signs of progress in the Brexit negotiations, the risk that the Brexit negotiations will collapse will rise sharply.