In her 22nd stop in the U. K. since she appointed chancellor 16 years ago, Merkel sought to downplay the tensions that obviously arose after the British electorate left the European Union in June 2016 and has even expressed interest in a new treaty between the two. countries to cement the new relationship.

“Now that Britain has left the European Union, this is an opportunity to open a new breakdown in our relationship,” he told a joint press convention alongside his host, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after dinner on English and Oxfordshire asparagus. at a career luncheon in his retirement country Chequers.

“We would be very pleased with the German aspect of the paintings in combination about a treaty of friendship or a treaty of cooperation, which would reflect the full extent of the relationship,” he said before departing to meet Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

Merkel also addressed Johnson’s closet via video call, the first foreign leader to do so since U. S. President Bill Clinton in 1997. The two leaders agreed in their discussions that their respective cupboards would meet annually, the first arrangement of its kind for the U. K.

Merkel said she is confident “pragmatic” responses to post-Brexit industrial arrangements can be discovered with regard to Northern Ireland, the UK’s only land border with the EU and its singles market and duty-free customs union.

The Northern Ireland Protocol imposed customs and border controls on certain goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK so that there is no firm border on the island of Ireland, which has enraged the Union network in Northern Ireland and many members of Johnson’s. Conservative Party, which claims that the controls amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken ties between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

A high point since the arrival of the new provisions at the beginning of the year has focused on refrigerated meats, such as sausages, which are staples of German and British cuisine. countries, which is what Britain is after Brexit. An era of grace to allow banger sales from the UK to Northern Ireland ended this week for another 3 months until the end of September.

Johnson said he was confident the thorny factor would be resolved after his meeting with Merkel.

“Imagine if Bratwurst cannot move from Dortmund to Düsseldorf because of the jurisdiction of a foreign court,” he said. “I would surely consider it extraordinary. So we have to fix it. I am sure, as Angela says with good will and patience, we can solve the problem.

Merkel also said double-stinged Britons deserve to be able to go to Germany without quarantine for “the foreseeable future. “

But he expressed “grave concern” to Johnson about the number of enthusiasts who were allowed to enter Wembley Stadium for the final stages of the European Football Championship, given the highest degrees of infection of the most contagious delta variant of the coronavirus in the UK.

More than 60,000 spectators will be at The North London Stadium for the semi-finals on July 6 and 7 and the last on July 11 as part of a government programme to organise mass events safely. of a negative COVID-19 control or evidence of two doses of vaccine.

Merkel also said she is “a little sad” that England’s soccer team beat Germany 2-0 in their last eighth this week, but sent her most productive wishes to England for the rest of the tournament.

“I’m grateful to you for breaking with this tradition, just for once,” Johnson joked.

Johnson also announced the creation of a new educational medal honoring Merkel, a scientist through training. A prize of 10,000 books ($13,800) will be awarded each year starting in 2022 to a British or German scientist. It is named after Caroline. Herschel, a British astrophysicist of German origin who pioneered the field.

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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.

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