The rains set off dangerous mudslides, inundated homes and destroyed bridges
He told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that after the vote in British parliament on Tuesday there needed to be new talks between Britain and the EU, adding that in the end the issue of a backstop solution for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland needed to be discussed.
"We want to avoid a customs border under all circumstances" he said.
Asked about the possibility of postponing the scheduled date for Britain's exit from the bloc, he said that, if such a request reaches the EU, the bloc would discuss it constructively.