French President Emmanuel Macron has said the UK must pay into the European Union’s (EU) budget if it wants to access the Single Market after Brexit, and there will be no “tailor-made” deal for the City.
Some had hoped Prime Minister Theresa May’s offer to pay tens of millions more towards controlling the border in Calais and to accept more migrants from Northern France would persuade the French leader to be generous in Brexit talks.
However, he announced the hard-line stance at the end of a joint press conference with Mrs. May at Sandhurst Military Academy on Thursday, warning Britain “can have no differentiated access to financial services” post-Brexit.
According to Open Europe, he continued: “If you want access to the Single Market, including the financial services, be my guest – but it means you have to contribute to the budget and accept European jurisdiction. It’s a situation that exists for Norway.”
Questioned on if France would seek to “punish” the UK by pushing for financial services to be excluded from a post-Brexit deal, Mr. Macron said: “I’m not here to punish or reward.”
He added: “I would not want to exclude any sector in the trade agreement to come… But it does not mean that the access it will allow will be equivalent to [being] a member of the Single Market.”
Mrs. May has previously said the UK will not make substantial payments to the bloc after Brexit and insisted Britain will leave both the Single Market and the Customs Union so it can control its own trade and migration policies.
Addressing Mr. Macron, Mrs. May said: “It is actually in the interests not just of the UK but also of the European Union as it goes forward to continue to have a good economic relationship with the UK… That should cover both goods and services.
“The City of London will continue to be a major global financial centre. That is an advantage not just for the UK, it’s actually good for Europe and good for the global financial system.”
On Wednesday, a spokesman for Mr. Macron said he would welcome “with kindness” Britain abandoning Brexit and staying in the EU, on the same day he offered to loan the famous Bayeux Tapestry to Britain for the first time in more than 900 years.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.