GUARDIAN EUROPE: Finance minister offers standing invitation to ‘intensify your trade relationship to the EU’
The German finance minister has issued an open invitation to the UK to reach a new deal to improve Brexit trading relations that would reduce trade barriers and “obstacles in daily business life”.
Christian Lindner told the BBC: “This is a standing invitation for the UK: if you want to intensify your trade relationship to the EU, call us. We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people … and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify [the trade relationship] again.”
His comments will come as a surprise to the European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, who negotiated the Brexit trade deal, and they throw the door open to the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, who has said he will seek “a much better” relationship with the EU if he wins the next general election.
Šefčovič has insisted the Brexit deal will not be “put in the shredder”. He is also resisting calls from the car industry in the UK and the EU for a three-year suspension of tariffs, scheduled to come into force in January, on electric car exports.
It is understood he may, however, agree to a one-year suspension as a compromise. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brussels correspondent | Saturday, October 14, 2023
