06/03/2018 (Agence Europe) – On a trip to London on Tuesday 6 March, the French minister for the economy and finance, Bruno Le Maire, told BBC radio that the equivalence regime was the best solution to allow British financial services to be able to continue to access the European market following Brexit. “Financial services cannot be in a pre-trade agreement for many reasons”, he explained, referring in particular to supervisory matters and the specific rules governing financial services in the EU – even though Theresa May confirmed in her speech that she hoped to include financial services in the future trade deal between the United Kingdom and the EU (see EUROPE 11973). “We need a deal, we need a good deal, but once again we have to avoid any misunderstanding”, the French minister warned. (MF)