Reuters reports that Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic has made sealing a post-Brexit trade relationship with Britain more urgent than before and failing to get a deal would be irresponsible.

Maas said the EU wanted to be constructive and was still aiming for a deal.

“With today’s health and economic challenges, people on both sides of the channel have enough to shoulder, so it would be totally irresponsible to burden them in this position with additional problems through a no-deal,” Maas said.