- Title: Ambition of EU-UK deal depends on regulatory alignment, EU's Barnier says
- Date: 18th December 2019
- Summary: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (FILE) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN STRASBOURG EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 1st January 2020 11:51
- Keywords: Article 50 Boris Johnson Brexit Britain December 2020 EU EU Parliament Extension January 2020 Michel Barnier Strasbourg U.K. Withdrawal Agreement
- Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002BAI6ONB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The European Union's willingness to offer a comprehensive free trade agreement to Britain after Brexit will depend on how ready Britain is to maintain EU standards and regulations, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator said on Wednesday (December 18).
Speaking at the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, Michel Barnier said that whilst Britain was leaving the EU, it was "not leaving Europe".
"Does it (Britain) want to distance itself - and how far - from our regulatory model. And that is the question for which an answer is necessary, and that answer will be provided by the U.K. and will determine our level of ambition," Barnier told lawmakers.
Britain is due to leave the European Union on January 31, with the crucial post-Brexit transition period stretching to December 2020.
(Production Clement Rossignol, Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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