In a speech in Vienna, Austria, the British Brexit minister, David Davis, unveiled the possible options for future relations with the EU in the commercial field, stressing that his country would not seek to move towards extreme deregulation, referencing the film Mad Max.
The Minister took pains to alleviate any concerns that the UK would move towards Mad Max-style deregulation, as a sort of dystopian fiction.
He also rejected any notion of wishing to water down standards, as some people fear, also dismissing the idea of any weakening of workers' rights and environmental standards.
Davis stressed that the UK would continue on the basis of the high standards acquired. Instead of relaxing the rules to obtain competitive advantages following Brexit, the country would enter a race to excellence in terms of standards.
The Minister stressed two principles to be followed in the UK's future relationship with the EU, but also with other third countries: fair competition and striving for the highest standards in the world. This, he explained, would help to create the necessary confidence between London and the EU in order to guarantee a mutual recognition of the regulations and institutions of each. He added that it would be critical to ensure that the future economic partnership is as open and trade as harmonious as possible.
In certain sectors, such as automotive, the Minister explained that currently, a car produced in Austria, where he was speaking on Tuesday, has to meet an entire range of criteria in order to be exported to the UK or elsewhere in the EU and that these series of authorisations are recognised throughout the EU. He stressed that this was exactly the type of agreement the UK wishes to maintain with the EU, even after it leaves. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)