EU's Barnier: May's speech shows a willingness to move forward

"The speech shows a willingness to move forward, as time is of the essence. We need to reach an agreement by autumn 2018 on the conditions of the United Kingdom's orderly withdrawal from the European Union," the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Thursday in a statement released by the European Commission after UK PM May's Brexit speech.

Key quotes:

• The EU shares the goal of establishing an ambitious partnership for the future. 
• The EU will continue to insist on sufficient progress in the key areas of the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom before opening discussions on the future relationship.
• We look forward to the United Kingdom's negotiators explaining the concrete implications of Prime Minister Theresa May's speech.
• Our priority is to protect the rights of citizens. EU27 citizens in the United Kingdom must have the same rights as British citizens today in the European Union.
• Today, for the first time, the United Kingdom government has requested to continue to benefit from access to the Single Market, on current terms, and to continue to benefit from existing cooperation in security.