Newington's partner agency Cambre Associates provide the view from Brussels more than a year after the UK voted for Brexit and after the latest round of talks in Brussels.

The view from Brussels, more than a year after the UK voted for Brexit and after the latest round of talks in Brussels, is that progress is at best sluggish and possibly even in reverse. London is seen as continuing to delay the exit negotiations, with an eye to internal politics. And Brussels has yet to see a concrete proposal to provide a bridge from the present deadlock to the future special partnership with Great Britain that London seeks. Based on the evidence to date, many observers could be forgiven for thinking that the UK wants to replicate the benefits of EU membership without the commitments – have its famous cake and eat it.

While the UK ponders its place in Europe and the wider world, EU27 is in a somewhat different position. A year of crucial elections – Netherlands, France and soon Germany – have seen Eurosceptic populists not achieve any major breakthroughs and has led to a revived Franco-German motor at the core of Europe. The US elections, progress on major trade deals, and strengthening economic performance, have gone someway to restoring the EU’s belief and ambition in its global economic role. The UK’s withdrawal from most European conversations has revamped Brussels’ integration plans, unlocked  overdue files – notably on defence, social and fiscal policies – and even paved the way for discussion about deeper reform towards a ‘two-speed’ Europe.

The EU seems to have recovered from the shock that followed the Brexit vote. The UK was always a unique EU member before Brexit, with its independent central bank, opt-out from Schengen, and countless reserves and carve-outs from the EU treaties. Conceding to further British exceptionalism with a ‘pick-and-choose’ Brexit risks fuelling centrifugal forces in the EU, notably from the East and the North, scaling back the prospect of a reenergised and reformed Europe with that of an even more integrated core. Politically, EU leaders cannot concede to the Brexit threat. However, the EU cannot do without trading with Britain either, needing it as a partner, not a competitor. Losing any relationship with the strongest pro-business voice in Europe would be a blow for the world’s biggest economic bloc.

Against this background, the UK's perceived lack of preparation and, to many, impossible demands are prompting fatigue and impatience in Brussels. The already limited timeframe to negotiate an orderly withdrawal, let alone any  future relationship, is fast running out. European officials and business representatives are baffled at what seems an apparent lack of understanding at the highest levels of UK Government, of EU politics and the web of rules and policies that have underpinned the UK economy over the past 44 years. And while UK positions have slowly emerged on the key issues that have resulted from the Brexit vote – the role of the European Court of Justice in Britain; the rights of citizens; the need to have a customs arrangement and access to the single market; these position have neither been sufficiently grounded nor substantive as required. In the eyes of many in Brussels and the wider EU27, Britain's reputation and stature is worsening with every lost day of negotiation.

For these reasons, the prospect of a painful lose-lose outcome looks increasingly likely. If Brexit is going to be any less bloody or disruptive, it is the near unanimous view that itis up to the UK to look forward and take the initiative with some serious proposals. In a situation where Brexit is increasingly seen as a bigger problem for Britain than it is for the EU, EU27 expects London to do some heavy lifting. For the UK to expect the opposite could be considered naïve – this is something the Union does only for its Member States.