Get on with trade deal, say German firms
GERMAN business leaders have issued a plea to the EU to begin work on a trade deal with Britain as the next round of Brexit negotiations begins in Brussels today.
The EU has repeatedly said talks on a trade agreement cannot begin until ‘sufficient progress’ is made on the divorce bill for leaving and the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Northern Ireland.
But last night the bloc’s negotiators were under increasing pressure to compromise after the influential Association of German Chambers of Commerce (DIHK) said it was important for businesses on both sides of the Channel for them to start looking at the future arrangements.
In a joint intervention with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the group warned trade would suffer without clarity.
Adam Marshall, of the BCC, said: ‘As Brexit talks continue, it’s clear that companies in the UK and on the continent all want economic issues to rise to the top of the negotiations agenda. There is real business appetite from both sides for a focus on practical, day-to- day business concerns, and a desire for clarity on future trading arrangements. The UK and the EU must begin work on transitional arrangements, particularly on customs, so firms on both sides of the Channel have the confidence to make investment decisions.
‘Chambers of commerce in the UK and in Germany want to see thriving trade continue between our firms, both now and into the future. Politicians must do everything in their power to help this happen.’
Martin Wansleben, of the DIHK, said: ‘The first effects of the Brexit vote are already being observed – German exports to the UK were down by 3 per cent in the first half of this year compared with the first half of last year. A transitional period would be helpful for business, but it is important to businesses on both sides that the contours of a future trading relationship are becoming clearer over the next months.’
Brexit Secretary David Davis will today call for more ‘flexibility and imagination’ from the EU as he arrives in Brussels for the third round of negotiations.
He will say: ‘We want to agree a deal that works in the best interests of both the EU and the UK, and people and businesses right across Europe. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work.’