Angela Merkel welcomes Theresa May’s Brexit plan and says there has been ‘progress’ in negotiations

ANGELA Merkel yesterday welcomed Theresa May's controversial Brexit proposals, saying there had been "progress" in negotiations.

The German Chancellor was speaking alongside the PM at the Western Balkans Summit in London.

She also said: "I can only say that even after Britain has left the EU, we want to have as close a relationship with Britain as possible - which I think is true also for the other European member states.

"We remain Europeans although we may not all then be members of the EU.

"What we want to do now is bring the negotiating process forward... We as the 27 under the leadership of Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier, will then form an opinion and later on table a common response to those proposals. It's a good thing that we have proposals on the table.
"We are looking forward to interesting discussions, but we will also have those discussions inspired by the spirit of friendship and inspired by the wish to continue a good relationship in the future."

Mrs Merkel's comments came as the UK PM pledged Britain will "absolutely not" retreat from its security commitments in the Western Balkans after it quits the European Union, Theresa May has insisted.

Mrs May said the UK had always had a "strong commitment" to the group of nations, including a role in securing peace during the conflicts of the 1990s.
She added: "I know that some have seen our decision to leave the European Union as a sign that we are retreating from this role.
"This is absolutely not the case."
Mrs May had announced a doubling of funding for the region from £41 million in 2018/2019 to £80 million in 2020/2021 ahead of the fifth annual summit, which focused on issues including corruption, organised crime and economic stability.

The two leaders earlier shared a joke before Mrs May swapped football shirts with Croatia's president Andrej Plenkovic ahead of England's semi-final clash tonight.

Mrs May was holding talks with the German chancellor just 24 hours after her Government was plunged into crisis over Brexit.

The PM could face a leadership challenge after David Davis and Boris Johnson both quit her Cabinet.

And today, two Tory party vice-chairs also resigned, saying they can't accept her latest Brexit customs plans.

Mrs May is keen to persuade European leaders her proposals, hammered out at Chequers, are workable for the UK and EU.

The plan would see Britain keep EU regulations on goods and form a new free-trade area with the continent.

Brussels Eurocrats have warned the proposal is unacceptable - but national leaders could be more sympathetic.

Mrs May visited Berlin last week for talks with Ms Merkel and presented her plans even before the Cabinet were told the details.

It seems to have paid off, as Ms Merkel welcomed the proposals today and said that they brought the Brexit process "a whole step forward".

She said: "We will remain Europeans even if we're not in the same European Union.

"With Britain putting forward a white paper, this has come a whole step forward, and we as 27 ... will form a position and give a joint response.

“But it's good that the proposals are on the table - that much I can say already without going into details.”

At the event today she announced a doubling of funding for the region - from £41million in 2018/2019 to £80million in 2020/2021, which focused on issues including corruption, organised crime and economic stability.

The money will be targeted at regional "security challenges", particularly those around organised crime and drug smuggling, which have an impact in turn on the UK, Downing Street said.

Mrs May told the assembled leaders that the Western Balkans was "a region anchored to European democratic values and the rules-based international system" and "one that contributes to European security, stability and prosperity".

Others who attended included the leaders of the six Western Balkan nations, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, as well as Mrs Merkel and Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.