The German Minister of Finance has indicated that the European Union is open to revisiting post-Brexit trade arrangements with the UK, encouraging politicians at No.10 to reach out to discuss the matter.
Christian Lindner, a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the German Minister of Finance, said in an interview with BBC: “If you want to intensify your trade relationship with the EU – call us!”.
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“We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people… and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify trade again,” he added during the interview.
The German minister’s comments are in line with Germany’s support of the proposition to extend the exemption of tariffs on electric vehicles between the UK and the EU for a three-year period.
If such a proposal fails, starting from January 2024, under the current post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK, manufacturers face a 10 per cent levy on EV batteries that cross the Channel, a cost that is detrimental both to the UK and German’s car manufacturing sector, as we reported last month
France refuses to delay post-Brexit EV tariffs
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The call for co-operation follows UK PM Rishi Sunak’s agreement with the EU regarding post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland, known as the Windsor Framework, which has improved relations between the block and the UK.
Indeed, Linder’s comments suggest an amelioration in the UK-German political ties: “We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people… and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify again,” he commented.
In addition to showing its willingness to trade with the UK, Linder also addressed some concerns about the overall health of the German economy. “Prophecies of doom are inappropriate,” Lindner told Bloomberg at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Marrakech.
Although Germany is the only European economy the IMF predicted will shrink this year, Linder believes that “Germany has an enormous turnaround potential and solid economic foundations”.
