The new British ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Wilson says trade relationships between Great Britain and the Netherlands will not ‘necessarily’ suffer after Brexit but warns it is up to the EU to do its part.

‘There is a great measure of unanimity between our two countries,’ Wilson told the Telegraaf in an exclusive interview. ‘The Netherlands is our most important trading partner after Germany and the United States. It is in both our interests to keep that relationship intact.’

In spite of the present deadlock in the exit negotiations with the EU and the split in his own Tory party, which Wilson qualifies as ‘a lively political debate’, he is optimistic about the progress that has been made, the Telegraaf writes.

‘We have come far. Michel Barnier said the same in his statement. We have progressed on many technical matters. The problem is money,’ the paper quotes him as saying.

According to Wilson the UK has made it ‘abundantly clear’ that it will pay its share of its EU contribution. He then goes on to say that there is a ‘technical discussion’ about how high the bill will be and ‘a political question’ of how much of that bill will be paid. That question, the ambassador told the paper, can only be answered ‘if we talk about our future relationship as well.’

But the EU negotiators say that before trade negotiations can begin the UK must accept the EU’s analysis of what it will owe on leaving in March 2019, guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK and give assurances there will not be a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. So far the UK has not complied with any of these conditions.

Transition

According to Wilson, however, the ball is now in the EU’s court and it should make a move towards talks about a transition period.

To the question whether Brexit will harm the British economy Wilson said that ‘after Brexit, Dutch companies with trade interests in the UK will continue to deal with a ‘country with a strong economy and a good entrepreneurial climate. We are in favour of free trade and that position will only become stronger once we exit the EU.’

He also warned that ‘any study which predicts damage to the UK also predicts damage to the EU. To pinpoint where the damage will be greatest is not an effective way to negotiate. We would do better to focus on mutual interests,’ the paper quotes him as saying.