Angela Merkel still doesn't know what the UK's Brexit plan is
Theresa May said the UK wanted a deal "that isn't based on an existing model."
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has said she is looking forward to learning Britain's actual plans for Brexit as a new round of talks start next week.
Speaking after a meeting with British prime minister Theresa May, Merkel said that Germany's position on Brexit was still the same, that they regretted the decision to leave the European Union, but that they hope for a productive future relationship with the UK.
Asked if she was frustrated, Merkle said she was not, adding: "I'm just curious how Britain envisages this future partnership and obviously we also have our own vested interests as regards, for example, economic commitments."
May hinted that the UK would be looking for a besoke deal on the country's exit from the union, rather than taking lead from existing agreements like that of Norway or Canada.
"What we're looking at is, I believe, a comprehensive and ambitious partnership, one that isn't based on an existing model," May said, without detailing any terms of such a partnership.
"I want to ensure that U.K. companies have the maximum freedom to trade and operate within German markets and for German businesses to do the same in the U.K.," May said, noting that the cooperation between the two countries creates hundreds of thousands of jobs.
European business leaders have expressed worry about the tumultuous form that Brexit is taking. Economy minister for Bavaria, Ilse Aigner said that certainty was important for companies thinking about the impact of Brexit.
Speaking at an event in Munich, Aigner said "New customs duties and non-tariff trade barriers are simply poison for our economy, poison for jobs and poison for our prosperity."
