German minister tells EU to 'keep Britain CLOSE' as he calls for 'REASONABLE' Brexit deal
HARDLINERS in Brussels who want to punish Britain for Brexit have been dealt a blow by Germany’s finance minister who wants “a reasonable deal”.
Wolfgang Schaeuble: "We will NOT punish Britain"
Wolfgang Schauble has told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel that it is important to “keep Great Britain close to us”.
He warned against “punishing” Britain in a humiliating blow to key Brussels figures like European Parliament chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.
Germany’s finance minister Wolfgang Schauble has dealt a blow to Brussels
In a major boost to Britain’s financial services industry, he also pointed out that the City of London benefits Europe as a whole and the European Union should recognise that in a “reasonable” Brexit deal with Britain.
He said: “We don’t want to punish the British for their decision we want to keep Britain close to us.
He warned against 'punishing' Britain in a humiliating blow to key Brussels figures
He went on: “London’s financial centre serves the whole European economy.
We don’t want to punish the British for their decision
“London offers a quality of financial services that are not to be found on the continent.
“That would change a bit after a separation, but we have to find reasonable rules here with Britain.”
Mr Schauble also pointed out that the City of London benefits Europe as a whole
Mr Schauble’s intervention follows the EU’s trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström admitting that the bloc should agree a similar trade deal as the one struck with Canada with 98 per cent tariff free access to the single market.
Addressing MEPs, she suggested that such as deal could be agreed quickly.
A leaked European Parliament report last week also revealed that they believe harming the City of London will damage the European economy.