European Union-U.K. talks over Brexit fail to reach breakthrough

A British statement said that “a number of difficult issues remained and it was important to continue to discuss them.”

Top European Union (EU) and British officials failed to get a breakthrough at talks on Northern Ireland trade rules and said on Friday that contact would continue over the coming weeks. The dinner meeting late Thursday between European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and U.K. Brexit minister David Frost took place a month after the EU started legal action against its former member country, arguing that the U.K. had not respected the conditions of the Brexit agreement and violated international law. A British statement said that “a number of difficult issues remained and it was important to continue to discuss them.” Mr. Frost said that “there should be intensified contacts at all levels in the coming weeks.” The two sides are trying to find common ground on trade rules in Northern Ireland, where Britain’s exit from the EU has unsettled a delicate political balance.