Merkel willing to fight for orderly Brexit "until last second"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday during the Global Solutions Summit that she is willing to fight "until the last second" of March 29 for an orderly Brexit.

There would not be much time left, but a few days would still remain, Merkel said on Tuesday, 10 days prior to the scheduled date for the Brexit.

The outcome of the next summit of the European Union on Thursday would be unpredictable because "far too much is in flow", the German Chancellor added. British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to suggest to the European member states to postpone Great Britain's withdrawal from the EU.

During the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin, which was held for the third time, over 200 actors from politics, industry and science are delivering speeches on topics like climate change, trade and investment as well as social cohesion.

Regarding current global trade conflicts Merkel stressed that "non-tariff trade barriers" were much bigger challenges than tariffs. "The big question of multilateralism will be non-tariff barriers" such as varying environmental, social or health standards in different countries, Merkel stressed.

Referring to global trade conflicts, Merkel said one should not forget that the problems of international agreements would have already existed before the Trump government.

During the presidency of former U.S. president Barack Obama, regulations of the World Trade Organization would have repeatedly led to disputes and bilateral trade agreements, according to Merkel.

Such bilateral trade agreements would be good, but they would also be only the "second best solution" after global solutions, Chancellor Merkel added.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)