Denmark finance minister brands wrangling over Brexit divorce bill ‘a game’
3 min read
The Danish finance minister has dismissed Europe’s wrangling over the size of the Brexit ‘divorce bill’ as a “game” and called for both sides to “conclude some of the issues”.
Kristian Jensen said the UK and the EU are now “on the same page” following concessions Theresa May made in her Florence speech.
The comments comes as David Davis and Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier kick off the fifth round of Brexit talks.
Mr Jensen, who is tipped to be the next prime minister of Denmark, said: “In any political negotiations, there is not enough time, not enough money, not enough this, not enough that. This is part of the game. Because what we are dealing with here is not rocket science. We are not speaking about putting a man on Mars or solving the problem of CO2 emissions.
“We are now on the same page … In my view it is rather important we get into a more close and more speedy process on concluding some of the issues.”
He told the Guardian: “We are talking about a political agreement between two parties... If there is one thing politicians are good at doing it is making an agreement, if the political will is there.
“This will never be a 100% win for one side or the other side. This will be a political compromise.”
He also said the EU must find a way to work with the UK after Brexit.
“The UK is a great trading partner of EU27, a strong ally in defence and security, so we need to find out how we can have a good and close relationship post-Brexit,” he said.
“We are negotiating together with the rest of EU27 so I wouldn’t put forward a specific Danish position on this. Just underlining that it is important that both sides are ready and able to move on. Because otherwise we get into an endgame where things are very precious on time and therefore a greater risk of making decisions that are not welcome.”
“This is not just a matter of bookkeepers trying to make up the score. It is also a negotiation over the coming way to work together.”
Mr Jensen also endorsed calls for a transition period, saying it would give both parties time to find mutual ground.
“I think it is in our interest to have a transition period. We will find common ground on that. The difficult part will be the length of the transition period, what are the issues of cooperation afterwards, and that’s why it is important we keep momentum in the negotiations, and both sides are ready and able to negotiate fast.”
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