“So that would obviously also be a way to move forward, which would ease many, many things in the trade relationship.”
While acknowledging that the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is “the most sophisticated and far-reaching trade agreement which exists in the world,” Berger argued both sides have “not used the potential … as it exists right now.”
“Between our governments, between our chambers of commerce, we can do much more to strengthen the business-to-business ties,” he said.
His comments put him at odds with the U.K. government’s stance. Brexit minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has stressed that Britain has “a mandate for a reset with the European Union,” which states that “we will not rejoin the single market or the customs union.”
Berger noted the focus between the U.K. and Germany should be on defense, due to Germany’s Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s plan to unlock a €500 billion special fund for defense and infrastructure.
“This means huge business opportunities, also for the United Kingdom,” he said.