The European Commission wants to reach an ambitious free trade agreement with the United Kingdom in the coming year, following the Brexit last weekend.
But she does expect the British to compete with Europe in an “open and honest” way. The British government, for its part, does not just want to accept all European rules.
The Frenchman Michel Barnier, who will lead the forthcoming negotiations on a free trade agreement on the European side, commissioned by the European Commission, proposed a draft negotiating mandate this morning.
That negotiating mandate determines the conditions under which the European Commission may discuss a new agreement with the United Kingdom.
Now that the British have officially left the European Union last weekend, it is necessary to negotiate how the country and the Union will trade in the future.