BRUSSELS: The European Union sought clarity from Britain on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit proposals as a fourth round of talks began on Monday.
During an expected four days of talks, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier will look closely for details from UK counterpart David Davis after May signalled concessions on key deadlocked issues.
The talks were delayed by one week in order to await May's speech which was delivered in Florence on Friday and hailed by Barnier as a "constructive" step forward in the stalled negotiations.
"There has been some progress, but we really need to move forward now. Time is of the essence," said Matti Maasikas, the Estonian EU affairs minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 28-nation bloc.
Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders added: "Things are a little clearer now, but we still don't really have any precise details."
Officials began talks on Thursday with Davis and Barnier due to give a press conference at 1530 GMT.
In her cautiously well-received Florence speech, May proposed a transition period of around two years after Britain's formal departure date in March 2019, during which it will still effectively follow EU laws.
She promised to meet Britain's existing EU budget commitments until 2020 -- estimated at around 20 billion euros -- and outlined new legal guarantees for the rights of around three million EU nationals living in Britain.
EU senior officials have said the sum is between 60 to 100 billion euros, a figure that is bitterly refuted in the UK.
Britain's divorce bill and the fate of EU citizens are two areas in which Brussels insists there has to be "sufficient progress" in order to start talks on any future relationship and trade deal, perhaps in October.
The third condition is the fate of Northern Ireland's border with the EU-member Republic of Ireland where both sides are wary of endangering the Good Friday peace process.
-'Move forward'-
"If those three points are not clarified, then we cannot move forward on the rest," French President Emmanuel Macron said after May's address, adding that it would be up to Barnier to judge on the detailed UK proposals.
The talks are intended to avert a messy exit, with British and EU officials set to meet each month leading up to an EU summit review late in October, which will decide the next step.
"At the present moment, no one expects that we'll be ready (to expand talks) in October," a senior EU official said on condition of anonymity, though he conceded the situation could develop quickly.
Barnier on Friday applauded May for her "constructive spirit" and looked forward to her speech's "concrete implications" during the fourth round.
Amid the negotiations, May will also make her case to EU President Donald Tusk over lunch in London on Tuesday and then to the bloc's other 27 leaders at a dinner in Estonia on Thursday.
The overall situation is made more complicated by sharp divisions within May's Conservative government after a June election gamble backfired, throwing her leadership into doubt.
May's cabinet is now divided between a pro-EU faction -- led by finance minister Philip Hammond -- and foreign minister Boris Johnson who is pushing for a cleaner break, confident that the Britain can prosper on its own.
- 'Impossible task' -
Britain's main opposition Labour party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile said it would not rule out remaining in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.
"Subject of course to negotiations, remaining in a form of customs union with the EU is a possible end destination for Labour," Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer told the party's annual conference.
The fourth round of talks begins 15 months after Britain's vote to leave the EU and six months into a two-year Brexit process, amid increasing concern about the UK economy.
Ratings agency Moody's on Friday cut Britain's long-term credit rating, citing economic uncertainty and the likelihood of weaker public finances after Brexit.
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