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German Party AfD Sceptical About Benefits EU-UK Deal Offers to Berlin

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is sceptical about benefits of the agreement that the European Union and the United Kingdom reached on 24 December for Germany, fearing the deal may potentially add to the financial burden of German taxpayers, Albert Breininger, a party member, said.

"There are of course different views, there are winners and losers from both sides, time will tell who won and who lost in this battle. What causes the most concerns for us is the fact that Merkel praised the agreement calling it historical, this is always alarming because usually after such words, German taxpayers have to fork out", Breininger said.

AfD's Breininger said that only time will tell about who would benefit from the agreement, noting that it had come just in time to enable passage to a new legal framework without disrupting relations after the transition period ends on 31 December.

"It's good that we agreed. A lean peace is better than a fat victory", he concluded.

Rather than face the prospect of conducting business on World Trade Organisation terms, which would have included the imposition of tariffs, the UK and the EU agreed to a deal that covers 660 billion pounds ($889 billion) of trade annually, without tariffs or quotas.

On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the agreement reached between the European Union and the United Kingdom was "of historical importance", adding she was confident the result of the negotiations was good. The German chancellor also pointed out that Berlin would examine the deal to decide whether it fully supports the result.

Pro-Brexit supporters carry placards as they walk in Westminster, London, Britain December 9, 2020 - Sputnik International
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Alongside the landmark trade deal, the agreement between London and Brussels also enacts new migration rules, an end to the United Kingdom's participation in the Erasmus+ university exchange programme, and establishes the future field of play for commercial fishing.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have both praised the agreement, calling it fair and balanced, although some observers have been keen to pass judgment on which party they think got the upper hand at the negotiating table.

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