Now that election season is over, the European Union held a serious discussion about the future of Continental integration. EU leaders met in Brussels for a European Council summit Oct. 19-20 to discuss several controversial reforms. But as in the past, their different interests and priorities prevented them from coming to a clear consensus . The European Council wasted no time in addressing the Brexit negotiations. EU leaders praised the progress achieved in the areas of citizens' rights and the Northern Irish border but said the country needed to expend more effort on other areas, such as on negotiations about how much the United Kingdom should contribute to the bloc financially. The bloc will revisit the issue again in a summit in December. The European Council also confirmed the bloc would begin preparations for the second phase of Brexit negotiations withoout the involvement of the United Kingdom.