Günter Verheugen, former EU expansion commissioner, said the bloc has “taught us a lesson in how not to deal with a member state that wants to leave”, as he insisted the “problem” was on the EU side. He compared the UK’s decision to unshackling itself from the EU to “losing the weight of 20 member states” as he blamed Brussels chiefs for making the mistake of not negotiating future relations at the same time as the exit and both sides should start anew.
Mr Verheugen told Anne Will on Germany’s TV channel ARD: “Brussels has taught us a lesson in how not to deal with a member state that wants to leave.
“The problem is not on the British side. The problem is on the EU side.”
The ex-commissioner said it was important for Brussels not to force London in to an impossible corner.
He said: “We’re not losing a member state, we’re losing the weight of 20 member states.
“We therefore have an interest that we remain the closest possible allies.”
Mr said Britain should be offered a “co-decision” on trade policy, adding “we must unblock this process so that there is the best solution for both sides”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has previously said the EU will do everything it can to work with Britain as she called for an “orderly” UK exit from the bloc.
Mrs Merkel has said the EU is “absolutely dependent” on good cooperation with Britain after its exit from the bloc.
And Germany, the largest economy in Europe, has been dented in recent months by a slowing world economy, trade disputes and Brexit uncertainty.
On Monday, the Federal Statistics Office said seasonally adjusted exports were down by 1.3 percent on the month, the latest in a string of poor data to come out of Berlin.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg