At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday 25 January, the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, expressed his hopes that the United Kingdom would seek a commercial agreement with the European Union along the lines of a 'Norway +' cooperation model.
Norway has full access to the single market, but must contribute to the EU budget and follow European rules.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the Irish leader said that the Norwegian model alone could not be the right one, any more than the Canadian model on its own could.
Urging the British to say what they want as soon as possible, Varadkar voiced hopes that the UK would stay as close as possible to its EU partners.
On Monday 29 January, the European affairs ministers will adopt negotiation directives for a post-Brexit transition period that will give London and the 27 time to negotiate the framework of their future relationship, particularly in trade matters (see EUROPE 11946).
Currently, this period would run until the end of 2020 and involve strict obligations for the UK, such as the application of the entire European acquis and not being able to conclude free-trade agreements with third countries, although it will be able to start negotiating them.
EU negotiators hope to start discussions on this relationship in March, in line with the timetable agreed upon in December by the heads of state or government (see EUROPE 11927). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)