“We’ve been very clear with market players, because this is a sensitive area,” she told a Politico event.
“We need to be clear and have been consistency clear how we will approach this, and we have been very clear with the United Kingdom as well.”
The top eurocrat suggested Brussels would not make a decision on granting Britain’s financial services sector to the single market before the extent of our post-Brexit reforms are made clear.
But she insisted even if the UK remains closely aligned to the EU’s rules and regulations, the bloc would seek to secure any advantages from the divorce.
Her chief negotiator Michel Barnier is due to step down from his role in the coming days and the Frenchman’s UK Task Force will be disbanded.
Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic will lead all future work on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The Slovak diplomat will be supported by a newly-formed UK service of experts brought in to work exclusively on post-Brexit talks with Britain.
Marie Simonsen and Stefan Fuehring will also join the new unit having previously worked on Mr Barnier’s UK Task Force.
A former aide to Jean-Claude Juncker will lead the EU s new UK service (Image: GETTY)