European Union authorities have defended as necessary and justified a series of potential punishments against Britain during the time it leaves the continental bloc.
An advisor to the EU’s top negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Wednesday that a plan to have sanctions by EU members on Britain during the so-called post-Brexit transition period would be necessary to prevent London from breaching its agreements.
“Foreseeing possibility of sanctions for foul play is of course part of any agreement,” said Stefaan De Rynck while reacting to some British lawmakers who had designated the plans for punishment introduced in a draft of the European Commission as “aggressive”.
De Rynck said Britain’s access to the EU’s single market during the nearly two-year transition phase, as demanded by Prime Minister Theresa May, should entail safeguards as the bloc’s referring of Britain’s breaches of the transition rules to the European Court of…