Could the United Kingdom get closer to Europe again, at least for trade?

Live from the BBC World Service, this is the Marketplace Morning Report.

I'm Stephen Ryan, as Mrs. Cifonarion, in for Leanna Byrne. Hello there.

When Brexit happened, the United Kingdom left a free trade area that meant goods moved freely without checks.

Now there's paperwork and physical checks for some things,

but the European Union could consider allowing the UK

to join a pan-European custom scheme,

and that could ease the red tape.

The BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam

has been talking to the EU Trade Commissioner Mara Shefcovic

in Davos at the World Economic Forum.

Are post-Brexit relations between Brussels and London really in a better place?

Definitely, yes.

We are also waiting for the ideas from our British friends about the reset,

how concretely they would like to do it.

Is their scope for a much better relationship,

perhaps not totally frictionless trade, but far fewer frictions than have existed. I think that it might be one of the ideas at the same time as we concluded

also after these very strenuous negotiations of these three agreements that even the best free trade agreement cannot simply replace participation

in the single market. But we respected the choice. We respect, of course, how the UK government

approaches this and this pan-European area is something we could consider. But I haven't heard it

so precisely formulated from our UK counterparts.

EU Trade Commissioner Marashevich at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

...