German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the UK on Saturday that it would have to pay a settlement to leave the EU, denying that the obligation amounted to a "fine".

"This is about obligations that Great Britain has entered into and that naturally must remain on the books," Merkel said in her weekly podcast published Saturday ahead of the latest round of talks next week.

"It’s not about the cost of divorce — that makes it sound like fines. We’re still at the very start of these negotiations.”

The divorce bill, or how much the U.K. should pay the EU upon leaving the bloc, is one of the most contentious issues in the Brexit talks. The EU has already outlined a full list of bodies and funds that it believes must be covered by the financial settlement. Estimates of the bill have ranged up to €100 billion

Source : Mena