If the talks are not to the satisfaction of the UK, the country will consider taking legal action.
(Photo: dpa)
London London and Brussels want to hold further talks in the coming week in the heated dispute over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. A team from the EU Commission will be received in London on Tuesday, the British government announced on Saturday evening. Towards the end of the week, EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and British Brexit Minister David Frost are due to meet in London and assess the current state of affairs. The dispute is about how the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed in the Brexit agreement is to be implemented.
The Northern Ireland Protocol provides that the British province will remain part of the EU customs union and the internal market even after Brexit. The regulation avoids a hard border with the EU member Republic of Ireland, which would presumably lead to new tensions in the former civil war area. However, this has created a customs border with the rest of the UK and there are restrictions on intra-UK trade.
In particular, the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as the highest arbitration body for problems relating to Northern Ireland remains controversial between London and Brussels. “Our position remains unchanged: The competence of the ECJ in the mediation of conflicts between Great Britain and the EU must end,” it said from British government circles.
Solutions would have to be found quickly, as the effects of the protocol were evident in everyday life in Northern Ireland: for example, typical Christmas products could not be delivered. Should this not be achieved, Article 16 would have to be applied, thereby partially repealing the agreement.
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Brussels recently announced that there would be considerable easing of the flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The tests of quality standards for food and other goods are to be reduced just as significantly as customs formalities. Medicines should also be able to reach the British province without restrictions.
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