Political Trade Agreement With U.K. Possible in Year, EU Says

(Bloomberg) --

European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said a political agreement on the shape of a new trading relationship with the U.K. is “certainly” possible within a year, stopping short of saying a detailed deal could be reached in that time frame.

The EU is ready for talks after next week’s election in the U.K., Hogan told reporters in Dublin on Friday. The campaign there has partly centered on the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc and how a new relationship between the two might play out.

“We are ready for a while, we’ve had plenty of time to await around for the House of Commons to make up its mind what it wants, “ Hogan said. “We want as close as possible as relationship with the U.K.”

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