German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not rule out that Britain's secession from the European Union could be completed by next year without the two parties reaching a free trade agreement, at a time when negotiations are proceeding in a slow pace.
In a speech on Wednesday in the European Parliament, which Germany currently holds its rotating presidency, Merkel said she would continue to push for a good solution, but she made clear that the scenario of not reaching an agreement establishing a partnership between the European Union and Britain should be prepared.
She added that progress in the negotiations between the two parties is still limited until now, noting that they agreed to accelerate the negotiations.
Negotiators from the European Union and Britain are scheduled to hold a new round of negotiations during the week in London, and the previous round, which was held over several days in Brussels a week ago, ended without agreement, at which time the chief negotiator of the Union Michel Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost confirmed the continuation of the dispute on several issues.
While the European Union is looking for an integrated trade and security partnership, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been one of the advocates of secession from the union, wants only a limited trade agreement.
After a difficult labor that lasted for years, Britain left the institutions of the European Union at the end of last January according to the Brexit exit plan, but it is still in the European Economic Area for a transitional period extending until the end of this year, and during this period the two parties strive to build a new relationship in everything From trade to security.