EU will make sure Brexit deal is NEGATIVE for Britain - ex-German envoy's shock admission

Thomas Matussek, former German Ambassador to the
UK, said the Brexit divorce bill would be “considerable”
and transitional period “long”.
Speaking on the Today programme, on BBC Radio 4,
Mr Matussek said any positives for the UK on leaving
the bloc would “encourage other” member states rot
follow Britain out.
But he said the European Union and Britain should aim
for a CETA agreement, the new deal between the EU
and Canada, which comes into force on Thursday.
He said: “Let’s try to aim for a CETA like free trade
agreement on goods and as far as financial services
are concerned, something like equivalence on both
sides.
Thomas Matussek said Britain would not gain from
leaving the European Union
“But of
course,
in the
end, for
you it
has to
be a
minus
to the
present status quo.
“If it’s a plus, then it would encourage others.”
Asked if he would expect the divorce bill to be
“considerable” for the UK and for the transition period
to be long, he said he would “assume that”.
He said: “We’re talking here about 25,000 rules,
regulations, laws etc, which have to be either
cancelled or transposed into British law or amended
etc and this is just such a Herculean task, I can’t see
how you can do it in the next two, three years.”
Brexit negotiations: UK’s key
policy positions
Wed, September 13, 2017
Here is a summary of the UK’s main proposals for
Brexit
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Meanwhile, it has been revealed German companies
are petrified at the impact Brexit could have on their
exporting power.
With Angela Merkel facing a nervy final few days
before this weekend’s German election, concerns are
growing about the UK’s EU exit.
Businesses in the town of Erfurt have issued a warning
to the Chancellor, urging her - or her replacement in
the event of a shock defeat - to respect Britain’s
economic importance.
The city’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK)
yesterday called for “close economic relations” to
continue.
Gerald Grusser, managing director of IHK, said: “Great
Britain is the second-largest trading partner for the
Thuringian economy with a total volume of nearly 1.8
billion euros in 2016.
“The still close economic relations with the United
Kingdom are therefore of particular importance for
local businesses.”
It flies in the face of cocky German claims the UK will
suffer after Brexit , with cities in mainland Europe set
to benefit instead.
Last month a German bank boasted Frankfurt would
steal jobs from Brexit Britain as companies fled back
to the bloc.

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