The arrival of Liz Truss, who replaced David Frost as British Foreign Secretary and head of post-Brexit negotiations, at the end of last year has given some hope to the possibility of stepping into the accelerator in the search for a new solution within the European ranks. Agreement with London on border controls and implementation of the Protocol North Ireland. Six months later the situation remains one of maximum tension. England is threatening if you “take action” European Union does not show flexibility Brussels says it is “unacceptable” to take unilateral action to resolve problems.
“Unilateral action involving failure to implement an international agreement such as a protocol is absolutely unacceptable. This would undermine trust between the EU and the UK and compromise our ultimate goal of protecting the Good Friday (Peace) Agreement in all its dimensions. Legal certainty and predictability for Northern Irish citizens and businesses This unilateral action also It will weaken the conditions for Northern Ireland to continue accessing the EU’s single market for goods“, Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission and responsible for negotiations with the UK, warned in a statement.
Avoid a hard border
His words reveal the truth disaster talk He met this Thursday with the British minister, who argued that London “would have no choice” but to act unilaterally and skip parts of the Northern Ireland protocol if the European Union didn’t show. flexibility in your application. The protocol entered into force on 1 January 2021 and is an important part of the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the EU. Its purpose is to prevent the return of a hard border to the island of Ireland, and for this it has set up. How should customs and sanitary controls be? To products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, which is part of the European domestic market.
A year and a half after its theoretical entry into force, the negotiations on its implementation continue to be dominated by threats from London to the United States. the agreement you signed Boris Johnson and it threatens to break. “Northern Ireland protocol has become the biggest obstacle to forming a Government in Northern Ireland,” Truss said, adding that the current situation “is causing unacceptable disruption to trade and creating a two-tier system for Northern Irish citizens”. He is not treated the same as everyone else in the UK.” The British minister also reminded Sefcovic of the importance of defending the Good Friday Agreement and urged him to act together. flexibility to remove trade barriers.
Brussels proposals
The community politician replied that Brussels had submitted proposals that would “significantly” improve the situation. “Recently, in February, we made a proposal to the UK Government. ambitious discussion program Sessions on outstanding practical issues raised by citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland. We’ve made it clear in our offerings that there is still potential to be explored. “We are still waiting for a response from the British side,” he said.
The Community Manager believes that there are solutions that can work as long as there are no unilateral decisions, because “unilateral actions will also undermine the conditions necessary for Northern Ireland to continue to access the EU’s single market for goods”, he reminded. .
In Brussels, the intention of the Boris Johnson Government to bet on the unilateral route is viewed with great concern. “we need trust “We must remember what unites us and avoid unilateral action,” said Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, during the opening of the parliamentary assembly between the EU and the UK. “This is not the time to create divisions or artificial crises,” recalled Liberal MEP Nathalie Loiseau.
Source: Informacion
