German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that Britain could still leave the EU with a deal. “We still have every chance of getting an orderly [Brexit] and the German government will do everything it can to make that possible - right up to the last day,” Merkel told parliament. “But I also say we are prepared for a disorderly Brexit."
“The fact remains that after the withdrawal of Britain, we have an economic competitor at our door, even if we want to keep close economic, foreign and security cooperation and friendly relations,” Merkel warned.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also told parliament: “We don’t like [Brexit], but we are not afraid of it because we have long since prepared for it, including the case of a disorderly Brexit.”
According to the president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany, Michael Schmidt, “the negative consequences of a no-deal Brexit are so enormous that a delay actually makes sense,” according to Reuters.