Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images Northern European mini-summit seeks to soften Brexit blow The meeting between Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands is a sign of concern about the timeframe of EU talks.

AMSTERDAM — Three of the northern European countries with the most to fear from Brexit are holding a mini-summit in The Hague on Friday to discuss how to maintain smooth trade ties after the divorce.

Just don't accuse Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands of trying to form a "soft Brexit" alliance.

The like-minded trio insists that they have no intention of forming a north European phalanx of U.K. allies that could undermine the negotiating unity of the 27 remaining members of the EU.

“We’re absolutely committed to the 27 format. We’re one of the loudest voices in that regard and we remain so, and we are not looking to build an alliance, this will not be a grouping that you’ll see named,” Ireland’s European Affairs Minister Dara Murphy said.

However, the meeting in The Hague is a clear sign of increasing unease among Britain's leading trade partners about the timetable of the EU's approach to Brexit. The European Commission insists that Britain must resolve issues such as citizens' rights and a financial settlement of tens of billions of euros before even discussing trade.

That raises the prospect of high-stakes trade talks running out of time in the final stretches of the two-year Brexit negotiations. In the worst case scenario, Britain and the EU 27 will face high tariffs and laborious customs procedures in trading with each other.

The meeting in the Netherlands grew out of a conversation between Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Denmark’s Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the sidelines of the European Council meeting in March, according to Murphy.

“Small and medium-sized countries that are geographically close to the U.K. will clearly have shared issues and concerns,” he said.

The trio is far from alone in those concerns. The Belgian region of Flanders has also called on the EU to start trade talks with the U.K. at once because of its deep business ties across the North Sea. Estonia, the next country to hold the presidency of the EU, is also looking to avoid Brexit talks being hijacked by southern European countries and wants to set more traditionally northern European negotiating priorities, such as competitiveness and free trade.

Lunch with Rutte

The mini-summit in The Hague takes place eight days before the 27 remaining members of the EU gather to adopt common guidelines towards Brexit negotiations.

The three have much in common. They are all big exporters to the U.K. They have all been on London’s side in the past in EU negotiations, tending toward a liberal, trade-friendly vision of the bloc. With the U.K.’s departure, they are all losing an ally in the internal politics of the EU.

“It makes sense that we jointly discuss how we secure our interests and get as amicable a divorce as possible,” Rasmussen said in a statement ahead of the meeting. Rutte’s office described it as an “informal” gathering “to gain deep insight into mutual interests.”

“We are the three countries that are indicated to be the most adversely affected by Brexit,” Kenny put it to the Irish lower house of parliament.

The three are expected to hold a press conference and will have lunch at Rutte’s residence.

The issue of “progress” in the negotiations with the U.K. is likely to be on the menu.

Strictly speaking, the U.K.’s future trading relationship with the EU can only be officially agreed once it has left the EU. But the draft guidelines for the talks allow that “an overall understanding on the framework for the future relationship” can be established in the second phase of the talks.

This second phase comes after “progress” has been made in the first phase, dedicated to settling the question of what will happen to EU citizens in the UK and vice versa, and the contentious issue of the so-called “divorce bill.”

Those with the closest trade ties to the U.K. have the largest interest in a generous definition of “progress.”

“If progress is made, then as 27 we will sit down together the heads of states and government and we’ll look at the potential for discussing the transition towards a new relationship. But we need to see progress,” Murphy said. "There’s absolutely no suggestion whatsoever that any diversion to that is being suggested tomorrow."