Germany's Maas: Coronavirus crisis won't make Brexit easier

Record ID: 1470635

  • Title: Germany's Maas: Coronavirus crisis won't make Brexit easier
  • Date: 24th April 2020
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (APRIL 24, 2020) (CORONAPOOL) VARIOUS OF GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER HEIKO MAAS ARRIVING FOR LIVESTREAM MEETING WITH SWEDISH COUNTERPART, JOKINGLY POSING BEHIND SWEDISH, EU AND GERMAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "Whether I think the extension of Brexit negotiations and the deadlines there are until the end of the year is good or not is irrelevant - the British government rejects that and made that clear again last week. It certainly won't be easier given the coronavirus crisis." MAAS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "What this means for us is that the end of the negotiations will fall into our EU presidency during the second half of this year and that we will work with everything at our disposal for a good result for the European Union and for Great Britain." MAAS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "We all wish for a quick return to Schengen (EU open borders policy) and I can understand the impatience of people who are planning their summer vacation or who live on the border and who are dependent on crossing the border without problems. But what's clear is that all steps towards an easing must be controlled and coordinated because otherwise we would jeopardise the already achieved success in containing the virus." MAAS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "Right now we must assume that a summer vacation as we know it won't happen this year." MAAS WALKING OFF
  • Embargoed: 8th May 2020 10:46
  • Keywords: brexit negotiations eu presidency foreign minister Heiko Maas
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CAUOCP3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday (April 24) the coronavirus crisis would not make Brexit negotiations easier, adding that Berlin would use its EU presidency in the second half of the year to ensure there is a "good result" for both the EU and Britain.
    "Whether I think the extension of Brexit negotiations and the deadlines there are until the end of the year is good or not is irrelevant - the British government rejects that and made that clear again last week. It certainly won't be easier given the coronavirus crisis," he told a news conference.
    Maas added that even though everyone wished for Europe's borders to reopen, "we must assume that a summer vacation as we know it won't happen this year."
    (Production: Coronapool, Gabi Sajonz, Michele Sani)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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