German minister urges Britain to get on with Brexit, but hints at ‘special status’

Michael Roth - credit DFID

Germany's European Affairs Minister, Michael Roth, has said the UK should begin its proceedings for leaving the European Union by the end of the year.

He said formal negotiations can only begin once article 50, the formal mechanism which would begin Britain’s EU exit, is triggered.

“We can't quibble about it. Even if we didn't want or hope for it, Brexit won and as it won there can't be any British members in the next European Parliament,” he told Reuters.

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However Roth also indicated the UK might be awarded a “special status” given the longstanding position as a key European partner.

“Given Britain's size, significance and its long membership of the European Union, there will probably be a special status which only bears limited comparison to that of countries that have never belonged to the European Union,” he said.

However this would not include retaining access to the free market while limiting the movement of people, he added.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met Roth in Berlin at the start of August, a meeting he described as a “very pleasant and constructive conversation between two dedicated pro-Europeans”.