European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament, “deal or no deal, the (Brexit) Withdrawal Agreement must be respected.” He reiterated, “our objective is still to reach an agreement that will pave the way for a new fruitful relationship between the EU and UK. We will continue to work for such an agreement, but not at any price”.
European Council President Charles Michel also said, “time is very short and we stand ready to negotiate 24/7, on all subjects, on legal texts.” The UK has a bit of a decision to make and it’s their free and sovereign choice,” he added. “Their sovereign answer will determine the level of access to our internal market, this is just common sense.”
“The UK wants access to the single market while at the same time being able to diverge from our standards and regulations when it suits them. You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Michel told EU lawmakers.
