Sefcovic: EU Won't Renegotiate, Trade Can't Be 'Frictionless & Dynamic'

Cristina Gallardo at Politico reports comments from EU Commission VP Maros Sefcovic addressing the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly:

• "Maros Sefcovic laments the EU-UK relationship is not as good as he would like it to be, because of Britain's position on the NI protocol. He reiterates the protocol is the only solution that "squares the circle" between Brexit and the situation of NI and Ireland. "
• "Sefcovic acknowledges that the implementation of the NI protocol hasn’t been without challenges ... he reminds lawmakers that the EU solved the problems with the supply of GB medicines to NI "in a record time" and proposed many other ways to tackle other concerns."
• "Sefcovic stresses the EU will not renegotiate the Northern Ireland protocol. "There has been no engagement at all from the U.K. in the last couple of months," he said. "Honesty about what the U.K. signed up to is needed." Trade between the EU and the UK “cannot be as frictionless and as dynamic” as before Brexit, Sefcovic said, because the TCA “is not and it can never be a replacement for EU membership.”