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A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 9 January 2020
EU chief warns UK must compromise to get Brexit trade deal

Associated Press those fears, telling von der
LONDON (AP) — Three Leyen the U.K. would con-
weeks before Britain is due tinue to maintain high stan-
to leave the European dards "in areas like workers'
Union, the president of rights, animal welfare, ag-
the European Commission riculture and the environ-
warned Wednesday that ment," Downing St. said.
the U.K. won't get the "high- International trade agree-
est quality access" to the ments typically take years
European Union's market to complete, but Johnson
after Brexit unless it makes has ruled out extending
major concessions. the post-Brexit transition
In a friendly but frank mes- period beyond the end of
sage to the U.K., Ursula von 2020, although the EU has
der Leyen said negotiating offered to prolong it until
a new U.K.-EU trade deal 2022. Downing Street said
will be tough. She also said Wednesday that "both Brit-
the end-of-2020 deadline ish and EU citizens rightly
that British Prime Minister expect negotiations on an
Boris Johnson has imposed ambitious free trade agree-
on negotiations makes it ment to conclude on time."
"basically impossible" to Von der Leyen said the time
strike a comprehensive frame was "very, very tight"
new agreement in time. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen delivers a speech at the London School of and made it "basically im-
Von der Leyen, who took Economics in London, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. possible" to negotiate any-
over as head of the EU's ex- Associated Press thing but a skeleton deal.
ecutive branch on Dec. 1, "The more divergence
met Johnson at 10 Down- 28 members. agreement covering goods state aid, you cannot have there is, the more distant
ing Street in London on Britain's departure will be and services, and cooper- the highest quality access the partnership has to be,"
Wednesday for the first time followed by a transition ation in other areas." But it to the world's largest single she said. "And without an
since the British leader's period in which the U.K.- said "any future partnership market." extension of the transition
election victory last month. EU relationship will remain must not involve any kind of "With every choice comes period beyond 2020, you
Johnson's Conservatives largely unchanged while alignment" in which Britain a consequence. With every cannot expect to agree on
won a substantial parlia- the two sides negotiate a would automatically follow decision comes a trade- every single aspect of our
mentary majority in Brit- new trade arrangement. EU rules. off," she warned. new partnership. We will
ain's Dec. 12 election, giv- Johnson says the U.K. is That could cause prob- The EU worries that Britain have to prioritize."
ing him the power to end seeking a wide-ranging lems. Speaking at the Lon- plans to cut environmen- The German EU chief —
more than three years of free trade deal, but doesn't don School of Economics tal and employment stan- who studied in Britain in the
wrangling over Brexit and want to agree to keep all before her meeting with dards in order to position 1970s and has proclaimed
take the U.K. out of the EU EU rules and standards. Johnson, von der Leyen itself as a low-regulation, herself a friend and fan of
on Jan. 31. It will be the first Johnson's office said after warned that "without a lev- low-tax competitor to the Britain — did have some
nation to ever leave the the meeting that the U.K. el playing field on environ- bloc. encouraging words for
bloc, which currently has wanted "a broad free trade ment, labor, taxation and Johnson sought to allay Johnson. q

Finland sees unusually mild January, lack of snow in south

said. The above-average tem- not unique. Winters vary
Mainland Finland recorded peratures have meant that quite a lot and are not
a high temperature of 7.9 Finland only has a seasonal necessarily alike," Hannu
degrees Celsius (46.2 F) blanket of snow north of Ylarinne, interim CEO of
and it reached 8.7 degrees the central city of Jyvasky- the state-owned shipping
Celsius (47.7 F) in the Aland la, some 270 kilometers (168 company Arctia, which op-
Islands, an autonomous miles) northeast of Helsinki. erates Finland's icebreaker
Baltic Sea region of Finland. In Helsinki, the Finnish capi- fleet, told Finnish newspa-
"Thermal winter" is defined tal, residents could only per Helsingin Sanomat on
as when sub-zero temper- go cross-country skiing at Tuesday.
atures set in for a certain designated ski parks where In Norway, Finland's Nordic
number of days, Tuomo tracks were being kept neighbor, temperatures
Bergman of the Finnish Me- in shape with the help of reached 19 degrees Celsius
teorological Institute said. snow cannons and other (66.2 F) on Jan. 2 in western
In southern Finland, where equipment. Moere og Romsdal county,
that usually happens in No- Five big icebreakers lying smashing the previous high
vember, January tempera- idle at a central Helsinki temperature record for a
In this photo taken on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, cyclists enjoy a
sunny day in Helsinki. tures typically average -10 port stood as another sym- single day in January.
Associated Press degrees Celsius (14 F). bol of winter's late start. The According to Norwegian
Bergman said it was "en- Baltic Sea has frozen only in meteorologists, statistics
JARI TANNER Nordic nation with a sur- tirely possible" southern parts of the Gulf of Bothnia show that winters are grow-
Associated Press prising absence of snow Finland might get weather between Finland and Swe- ing increasingly short in
HELSINKI (AP) — Unusually Wednesday and an unusu- that cold as late as March, den, the sea's northernmost Norway, with a steadily de-
mild weather in Finland left al delay in the start of "ther- which happened during arm. clining number of days with
the southern part of the mal winter," meteorologists the winter of 2007-2008. "This is a rare situation, but sub-zero temperatures.q