EU trade commissioner says trade deal with UK post-Brexit may take couple of years

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, 20 Jan. - (ANA) - European Union trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Thursday it would likely take a couple of years to negotiate a trade deal with the United Kingdom after it leaves the bloc

She noted a deal with Canada had taken around seven years and was still pending approval with the EU parliament, but said others were quicker.

"It's hard to say (how long). It takes a couple of years depending on what they want," she said, speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum. "We are negotiating 15-16 trade deals at the moment so we are busy."

Asked if the UK would be at the end of the queue she said "Yes". - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 20 January 2017 - - -