Germany urges UK to make haste with Brexit trade talks

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, right and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (Tobias Schwarz/Pool via AP)

Germany is calling on the United Kingdom to make a big final push to agree on a trade deal with the European Union in the wake of Brexit especially since the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is already hitting the economies on both sides of the English Channel very hard.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday that Covid-19 has “made an agreement even more urgent” for both sides, even though the chances to get even a basic trade deal by the end of the year are declining by the day.