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Brexit: Angela Merkel says she is still 'curious' about what the UK actually wants

German Chancellor was speaking after talks with Theresa May

Europe Correspondent

Friday 16 February 2018 17:40 GMT

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Angela Merkel: EU wants a 'constructive and close' relationship with the UK

Angela Merkel has said she is still “curious” about what the UK’s goals from Brexit are, despite holding talks with Theresa May on Friday.

The German Chancellor was speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with the Prime Minister after bilateral discussions about Britain’s departure from the EU.

During an exchange with journalists Ms Merkel said the German position on Brexit had not changed, adding: “We deplore it.’’

She denied she was “frustrated” with the process, but said: “We very much look forward to Britain again setting out its ideas.

“We would like to initiate those negotiations because we are under a certain amount of time pressure, but we also want be very diligent and very careful in working on this which means we will have frequent exchanges of views.”

Speaking at the same presentation, Ms May said she would be “saying something in the coming weeks” about the kind of future economic partnership the UK wanted with the EU, but insisted “it isn’t just a one-way street”.

The Prime Minister said a new round of discussions between the EU and UK would start on Monday of next week.

The new round comes after Sabine Weyand, the European Commission’s deputy chief Brexit negotiator, warned that, though British civil servants were “very competent negotiating partners”, they lacked a “clear political direction” from London.

“That’s because the political discussion in the UK isn’t over,” she added.

Ms Merkel and Ms Weyand are the latest figures to add their name to the list of Europeans who say they are not clear about what Britain wants.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar earlier this week called for “clarity and urgency” from the UK, insisting that his administration “still don’t know what the British Government wants Brexit to mean”.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

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1/8The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Post-Brexit immigration

workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns.

PA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Customs union

A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that “Brexit means Brexit” and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UK’s economic outlook become clearer.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Northern Ireland-Irish border

Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Party’s coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Transition period

Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Rights of EU citizens living the UK

The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreement (with the EU)

Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreements (internationally)

The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Financial services

Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period.

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European Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier also said last week it was time for the UK to “make a choice”.

The British public also echoed the concerns in a poll by BMG for The Independent released on Sunday. Nearly three-quarters of people (74 per cent) said Ms May’s plans for Brexit were unclear, compared with just 17 per cent who said they were clear. A further 9 per cent said they did not know whether the plans were clear or unclear.

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