Britain’s departure from the EU could strengthen the bloc’s political integration and make Germany more attractive as a business location, German Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Steffen said yesterday.
At their first meeting in Brussels on Monday, British and EU negotiators agreed on a timetable for the Brexit talks.
Both sides stressed their goodwill, but also acknowledged the task’s complexity and tight deadline.
“The decision by the United Kingdom to leave the EU is unfortunate,” Steffen said in the editorial of the ministry’s monthly report.
In the forthcoming negotiations, the remaining EU member states are to be faced with the challenge of preserving the unity of the EU-27 and the coherence of the EU’s internal market while also limiting the damage to citizens and businesses, he said.
Steffen said that the EU-27 were determined to remain united and to put future relations on a new common basis.
“The Brexit process could also bring opportunities for a stronger EU and for Germany as a business location,” he added.
Germany has thrown its hat into the ring to host the London-based European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority following Britain’s departure from the EU, although diplomats say both would not go to a single country.
In its monthly report, the ministry said Germany could benefit from Brexit as the future relationship with the UK was still unclear and London’s market access was not secured.
The location question is therefore already present for many financial services companies and Germany could offer a good alternative with Frankfurt as one of the leading financial centers in Europe, it said.
The ministry pointed to the proximity to the European Central Bank and its banking oversight.
“The role of Frankfurt as the center of banking supervision in Europe could be further strengthened and completed by a shift of the European Banking Supervisory Authority, which is still based in London,” it said.
“It is therefore self-evident that the state of Hesse and the federal government are committed to get the European Banking Authority to Frankfurt,” the ministry said.
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