EU AND BRITAIN MAKING ‘LIMITED’ PROGRESS IN TALKS

BERLIN: The European Union and Britain have made “very limited” progress in negotiations about their future relationship, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday, adding there was still a possibility that no deal would be agreed. “Progress in talks is, to put it cautiously, very limited,“Merkel told parliament during a Q&A session. “We have agreed with Britain to speed up the talks in order to seal a deal in autumn that must be ratified by the end of the year,“she said but added that Germany and the EU “must be prepared for the possibility that a deal doesn’t materialise”. Britain left the bloc on Jan 31. A transition period, during which Britain remains in the European single market and customs union, expires on Dec 31 and pressure is mounting to agree a free trade deal before then. – Reuters