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| - French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Britain's departure from the EU on Friday would be a "sad day" and represented a "lesson for us all". Speaking after a meeting in Paris with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis the French leader said: "Britain is leaving the EU in two days, it's a sad day, a failure and a lesson for us all." While France rues Britain's decision to leave the bloc after 47 years, Macron warned London that it was in no great hurry to clinch a new trading agreement. "We will not bow to any kind of pressure or haste" he said, referring to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's stated aim of negotiating a deal by the end of the year, a timetable judged optimistic by the EU. Speaking in the French parliament Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that "the hardest part lies ahead" in the negotiations between Britain and the EU on their post-Brexit relationship. "We're going to get down to brass tacks now," he said, adding it was crucial that remaining bloc members stand united in the trade talks. Le Drian echoed a host of warnings from EU leaders against bout "any form of unfair competition, in any area" from Britain. Undercutting the EU could cost Britain its tariff-free access to the EU's single market, he warned, adding: "There will be no tax, environmental, commercial or social haven on the European Union's doorstep." vlr-leb/cb/sjw/har
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