Relief over the Brexit deal in NRW: consequences expected

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Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The agreement on a Brexit trade pact between Brussels and London was received with relief in the export-strong North Rhine-Westphalia.

In the opinion of NRW Minister of Economic Affairs, Andreas Pinkwart (FDP), an orderly Brexit can look to an economic recovery in the new year with even more confidence.

"Reason has triumphed, even if literally at the last second," said Pinkwart in a message on the weekend.

For NRW there is a lot going on.

Of all federal states, NRW has the largest share of German-British foreign trade with around 20 billion euros.

The kilometer-long truck traffic jams in southern England shortly before Christmas and the border closings between England and mainland Europe due to the emergence of a new type of coronavirus had shown everyone involved the consequences of disruptions in trade, said Pinkwart.

The President of the State Association of Business Associations, Arndt Kirchhoff, was also relieved in the same message that at least a hard Brexit could be avoided.

Regardless, the UK's exit from the EU is painful enough.

“Let's not kid ourselves: The British market will continue to lose importance for the North Rhine-Westphalian economy.

This will lead to a noticeable loss of prosperity in the UK, but we will also feel the effects, ”he said.

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On Christmas Eve, London and Brussels had announced a breakthrough in talks on a joint trade pact after months of struggle.

At the turn of the year, the United Kingdom finally leaves the structures of the European Union after almost 40 years of membership.

The deal averted the worst consequences of the divorce.

The contract is intended to regulate issues relating to trade, cooperation between the police and the judiciary, and health insurance protection for travelers in emergencies.

According to the ministry, there are 1,400 British companies with around 129,000 employees in North Rhine-Westphalia.

25,000 British people live in North Rhine-Westphalia - that is a fifth of the British in Germany.

The importance of the United Kingdom as a trading partner has already declined significantly since the referendum (4th place among the most important trading partners in 2015 to 8th place in 2019).