In a speech in London, the vice-president of the European Commission joked that it was now Brussels that wanted to end Brexit – while London had been denying face-to-face talks for four months. Maros Sefkovic called for a new impetus to find “genuine common solutions” to the fight for the Northern Ireland Protocol, saying at the event: “We are fully prepared. “Let’s go back to the table.” It would allow both sides to “move to the next, I hope, brighter stage of our working relationship,” he said, calling the United Kingdom and the EU “natural allies.” However, the chief negotiator for Brexit insisted that the EU would not back down in its fight against the “unilateral and illegal” bill in the UK to overturn the protocol, which has sparked renewed legal action. He warned of “consequences” if the government hinted that it would “cut EU legislation” on financial services, data and food standards, despite promises made when the Brexit deal was signed. “The end of mutual recognition is a possibility if the United Kingdom changes its standards. Therefore, we will closely monitor the developments “, said Mr. Sefcovic in the event organized by the Bloomberg news agency. It presented in clear terms the growing economic losses from Brexit, including the 25% drop in UK goods exports to the EU from 2019 and the 7% drop in trade in services. “In times of economic pressure, this hurts businesses on both sides of the canal,” Sefcovic warned. He condemned the protocol bill – which overcame its first hurdle in the Commons this week – warning that it would “lead to continued uncertainty”. “In simple words: it would not work. “Ministers in London would be free to change the rules out of whim,” Sefcovic said. “A dual regulatory regime, where companies choose EU or UK regulations, would bury them under a mountain of bureaucracy. “This would clearly be a defeat-defeat situation – for EU-UK relations and, first and foremost, for Northern Ireland.” He opened his speech by referring to a speech by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to Bloomberg in 2013, which set the United Kingdom on its path to the 2016 Brexit referendum. “I hope we are near the end of this cycle. “You may not hear it often from a European Commissioner, but it is time to end Brexit.” However, Mr Sefcovic declined to say what form the EU’s retaliation could take if the protocol legislation becomes law – something that is expected to happen as early as next year.
