EU is petrified at losing world’s greatest trading nation 

That is very true. The pro-EU Agence France-Press should know that once the UK releases itself from the EU’s shackles, its trading rights will expand globally. Currently the UK’s hands are tied, being unable to achieve one-on-one trade agreements with other countries. Only the incompetent EU bureaucracy is permitted to arrange trade agreements on behalf of its 28 member states. Lacking in commercial ability and knowledge of history they are simply unaware that Great Britain was the greatest trading nation in the world. Its 44 years in the EEC and then the EU have wasted its time and insulted its international prowess.
Angela Merkel is in a panic, as the withdrawal of the UK from the EU will leave a large financial black hole which Germany, being the largest EU economy, will have to fill. Also the UK has a 90-billion-pounds trade deficit with the EU member states, so the EU needs the UK more than the UK the EU. 
Leaders of German industry and French and Italian wine producers are all deeply worried about the possibility of losing their best market. The streets in the UK resemble a German car exhibition, lined with BMWs, Mercedes, Audis and Porches, showing what German industry has to lose if they are foolish enough to “punish” the UK for a hard Brexit. Supermarket shelves are stacked with European wines and produce, all of which can be replaced by world producers at lower cost, particularly from the British Commonwealth.
If the EU is childish enough not to respect the UK, it will be the one who suffers. While EU politicians are banding around threats in their bitterness, EU industrial leaders are well aware of what is at stake with Brexit.
Gradually these leaders must start to ask themselves why they are shackled to a political dictatorship that controls their trade. But further, they surely must question why they pay billions each year to the EU in order to trade among themselves and with other countries of the EU’s choosing. As the UK is well aware, the world is much bigger than Europe and they will not pay a membership fee to Australia to buy its wine and excellent produce.
The EU is much the same scam as Greenshield trading stamps were.
JC Wilcox