European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a press conference in Brussels, April 2, 2020. — AFP pic
“But we are not ready to put into question the integrity of the single market, the main safeguard for European prosperity and wealth,” the president of the European Commission said. But she warned that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s tactics had shown the need for clear rules to be agreed. London has been resisting signing up to the EU’s vision of a post-Brexit “level playing field”, with trade penalties if either side diverges from agreed standards.
Von der Leyen paid tribute to her chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who tomorrow is due to come out of isolation imposed after a member of his team contracted the coronavirus.