Merkel to Britain: EU freedoms must be respected for single market access

[December 06, 2016]  ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a party congress of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Tuesday that Britain would not be allowed to cherry pick in its Brexit negotiations with the European Union.

German Chancellor and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party CDU Angela Merkel addresses the CDU party convention in Essen, Germany, December 6, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

"We will not allow any cherry picking," Merkel said to cheers from 1,000 CDU delegates in the western rust belt city of Essen.

"The four basic freedoms must be safeguarded -- freedom of movement for people, goods, services and financial market products. Only then can there be access to the single market."

(Reporting by Paul Carrel and Noah Barkin)

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