A member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has said that the United Kingdom must extend the Brexit transition period because of coronavirus.
The chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament, Norbert Röttgen, said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson must agree to extend the transition period for up to two years to avoid the alleged economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Before the current coronavirus crisis, I think it would have been possible to have a minimum agreement with the UK on the broad outlines to avoid a crash [the UK leaving without deal], with more detailed negotiations then taking place afterwards.
“I can’t imagine now that this is possible, given the fact that all the EU countries, Brussels and London are so absorbed by the pandemic – and this will go on. Given this situation, I don’t believe that there is a realistic possibility any longer to even achieve the necessary minimum. So you have to extend,” Mr Röttgen told The Observer on Sunday.
