Maros Sefkovic, vice-president of the European Commission, has said that UK legislation to circumvent parts of the protocol that governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade arrangements is illegal. The Commission has confirmed that Brussels will resume legal proceedings against the United Kingdom, which it suspended in September, for violating the 2020 EU Exit Treaty. Politics Hub: Rwanda’s deportation policy “a mess” Labor says Mr Sefcovic said: “If the United Kingdom does not respond within two months, we can refer them to court.” Brussels is also launching two new lawsuits against the United Kingdom – but also offering what they called a “ready-to-bake” solution to the impasse. Mr Sefcovic said: “Let there be no doubt: there is no legal or political justification for unilaterally changing an international agreement. “This is illegal. The UK bill is extremely damaging to the mutual trust and respect between the EU and the UK. “It has created deep uncertainty and casts a shadow over our international cooperation.” The Northern Ireland Protocol was designed to prevent the return of a harsh border with the Republic of Ireland as a result of Brexit. But it actually created a border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which means that goods exported from Britain are subject to customs controls. The UK government says it has created a headache for businesses and power-sharing arrangements created as a result of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The trade union DUP refused to rejoin the executive branch until the problems were resolved. Britain has claimed that efforts to renegotiate the agreement with Europe have reached a stalemate. He decided to move forward with legislation to change the protocol, which was published earlier this week, despite warnings that it would be illegal under international law and could provoke a trade war with Europe. The government has proposed the abolition of certain controls on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom and has challenged the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing the implementation of parts of the protocol. The European legal ultimatum relates to the action that was originally launched a year ago due to the UK’s unilateral decision to extend the so-called grace periods – suspending the full implementation of the border controls required by the protocol. This action was suspended in the light of the talks between London and Brussels. The two new legal proceedings – which are not specifically related to the Westminster Protocol legislation – accuse the UK of not providing sufficient staff and infrastructure to conduct inspections in Northern Ireland and of not providing the EU with sufficient commercial data. Mr Sefcovic also presented Europe ‘s proposals for easing customs formalities, holding a sample three – page certificate during a press conference to accompany a truck carrying several goods under the plans. “Not 300, not 30, three. That’s how simple it is and what we can do if we work together well,” he said. “What we put on the table is ready for the oven.”
Analysis by Adam Parsons, Correspondent for Europe
Maros Sefkovic embraced the air of an annoyed parent as he appeared today – not intensely furious, but radiating a form of injured frustration combined with the threat of punishment. He, like other EU diplomats, knows that legal proceedings will not worry Boris Johnson – if nothing else, another clash with Brussels could be politically beneficial to the prime minister. Instead, it aims to erode Britain’s global reputation for upholding international law while portraying the EU as adults – people it claims are ready to enter into a negotiated deal, Mr Mr insisted. Sefcovic. tongue on the cheek, is really “ready for the oven”. What we have now is strong rhetoric on both sides, with the EU blaming the UK for the stalemate and vice versa. They both say that they are the ones who love Good Friday Agreement. both accuse the other of intransigence, dogmatism and breaches of good faith. Mutual trust has evaporated. What we do not seem to have is an obvious prospect of significant progress through negotiations. I do not think that today ‘s legal action has made matters worse. but it certainly did not make them better.
