The EU has called on the United Kingdom to “return to the table” to resolve the crisis over Northern Ireland, as it is exposing the enormous economic damage from Brexit.
In a speech in London, the vice-president of the European Commission joked that Brussels now wants to achieve Brexit – while London refuses face-to-face negotiations for four months.
Maroš Šefčovič called for a new impetus to find “real joint solutions” to the battle for the Northern Ireland Protocol, saying at the event: “We are absolutely ready. Let’s go back to the table. “
This will allow the two countries to “move on to the next, hopefully brighter stage of our working relationship”, he argued, calling the United Kingdom and the EU “natural allies”.
But the chief Brexit negotiator insisted that the EU would not back down in the fight against the UK’s “unilateral and illegal” bill to break the protocol, which has sparked renewed judicial action.
He also warned of “consequences” if the government hinted that it would “smear EU regulation” on financial services, data and food standards, despite promises made when signing the Brexit deal.
“Termination of mutual recognition is possible if the United Kingdom changes its standards. That is why we will follow the development closely, “Mr Shefcovic said at the event, organized by the Bloomberg news agency.
He put forward strong evidence of economic damage from Brexit, including a 25% drop in UK exports to the EU from 2019 and a 7% drop in trade in services.
“In times of economic tension, this harms businesses on both sides of the canal,” Mr Shefcovic warned.
He condemned the protocol bill – which removed its first obstacle this week – and warned it would “lead to permanent uncertainty”.
“It simply came to our notice then. Ministers in London will have the freedom to change the rules at will, “Mr Shefcovic said.
“The dual regulatory regime, in which companies choose EU or UK regulations, would bury them under a mountain of bureaucracy.
“This will definitely be a loss-making situation – for EU-UK relations and, above all, for Northern Ireland.
He began his speech by referring to a speech by then-Prime Minister David Cameron at Bloomberg in 2013, which set the UK on the path to a Brexit referendum in 2016.
“I hope we are close to the end of this particular cycle. “You may not hear this often from a European commissioner, but it is high time we ended Brexit,” he said.
But Mr Shefcovic declined to say what form the EU’s revenge could take if protocol legislation becomes law – which is expected to happen by next year at the earliest.
Add Comment