Polish European minister: UK will remain key EU, NATO partner

Despite leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom will remain an important trading partner for the EU and a key European ally in NATO, European Affairs Minister Konrad Szymanski said on Friday, hours before the official EU-UK divorce scheduled for midnight CET. Britain is the first country ever to leave the EU, a decision made in the aftermath of a 2016 referendum in which 51.9 percent of Britons voted to end the membership of the bloc. Speaking to private broadcaster Radio Zet, Szymanski said that Brexit was definitely a negative development for the EU. "This is because the EU is losing a country that plays an important role in global trade and security architecture and this will certainly influence the EU's internal balance," he said.