GETTY European newspapers have said Brexit is unnecessary

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Belgian publication De Tijd predicted the chances of the UK securing a proposed customs agreement are “low” and accused ministers of wanting a “no strings attached” relationship with Europe. It claimed that UK voters were beginning to realise that “the bogus benefits a divorce from the EU would bring were based on illusions” and described Theresa May’s government as “weakened”.

Separately, the centre-left Slovakian newspaper Pravda claimed in its editorial that Britain could have secured reforms to free movement from within the EU that so many voters wanted. It said Austria and Germany are already pressing for a tightening of the rules which allow people to circulate around the bloc, saying the UK had gone about securing control over immigration “the wrong way” by quitting.

A number of senior EU leaders, also including French leader Emmanuel Macron, are pressing for a crackdown on abuses of the free movement principle including limiting the rights of ‘posted workers’. The new Paris chief has taken a surprisingly tough line on immigration as he looks to woo people who voted for Marine Le Pen, and has voiced concerns over wage undercutting similar to those raised last June. But it is unclear as of yet whether his proposals to crack down on unfair wage competition will get past Brussels, and if they do whether they would be strong enough to assuage some British voters’ fears about immigration.

In its editorial, Pravda stated: “Many would prefer to turn back time and reverse the last year's referendum on the withdrawal of the British from the European Union. “The British want to limit the influx of migrants and want to cut social benefits for those who already arrived, while at the same time benefiting from the free movement of goods and services. “These are reasonable goals. Only the British have chosen the wrong way to reach them. A reasonable reduction in social benefits for migrants could have been achieved if they were to remain in the EU. This is already being discussed in Austria and Germany anyway.” Meanwhile De Tijd, a Belgian economics paper modelled on the Financial Times, laid into the promises made by Brexiteers during the referendum and dismissed the idea of a new customs union with the UK.

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