BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said on Tuesday that renegotiating the protocol on Northern Ireland in the Brexit withdrawal agreement is not an option, following the traditional Queen’s speech in London.
“The EU has been open to joint work with the U.K. on implementing the protocol to bring long-term legal certainty and predictability to the people and businesses in Northern Ireland,” Sefcovic said in a statement.
“The EU remains open to such discussions. Only joint solutions will work. Unilateral action by the UK would only make our work on possible solutions more difficult,” he said.
“The protocol, as a cornerstone of the withdrawal agreement, is an international agreement. Its renegotiation is not an option. The European Union is united in this position.”
(Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, editing by Robin Emmott)
