IMF head Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday suggested that Britain and the EU extend their deadline on striking a post-Brexit trade deal in the face of coronavirus uncertainty.
“My advice would be to seek ways in which this element of uncertainty is reduced in the interests of everybody, the UK, the EU, and the whole world,” Georgieva told the BBC when asked if she would advise on an extension.
“I really hope that all policymakers everywhere would be thinking about” reducing uncertainty, she added. “It is tough as it is, let’s not make it any tougher.”
IMF this week warned that the coronavirus pandemic is pushing the global economy into the deepest recession in a century, cutting world output by three percent this year, and cautioned that the crisis could get even worse.
British and European Union officials meanwhile have agreed to schedule three new rounds of post-Brexit trade talks, starting next week by video conference, after the coronavirus epidemic disrupted negotiations.