DIn the dispute over Northern Ireland’s Brexit rules, the British Minister in charge David Frost has repeatedly threatened to partially suspend the agreement on the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. At the same time, he called on the EU to be cautious.
Mid-October European Commission British Minister David Frost stated that the proposal submitted to resolve the trade difficulties between Great Britain and Northern Ireland was not enough. The negotiations since then have not brought a solution. There is still time to reach an agreement.
However, if this is unsuccessful, the emergency mechanism that triggers Article 16 of the protocol will “still be the only option,” Frost said in the House of Lords in London on Wednesday.
“I politely advise our European friends to stay calm and not lose their temper,” Frost continued. There is also a “real opportunity” to avoid confrontation and achieve a new balance. However, the current position that Brussels appears to be taking is that the triggering of Article 16 by London will lead to “disproportionate countermeasures,” Frost said.
The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit Agreement, which stipulates that Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, continues to abide by the rules of the European Union’s internal market and the European Customs Union. This is to prevent a cargo border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.
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Otherwise, the violent conflict between the supporters of the two parts of the unity of Ireland and the supporters of the Union of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom may come back. What is needed now is a physical inspection between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sevkovic is expected to hold further talks in London this Friday. On Wednesday, he briefed EU diplomats on the progress of the talks. As the participants subsequently reported, the EU is preparing to activate Article 16. However, no specific measures were discussed. An EU diplomat told the German News Agency that everyone agreed that “the arbitrary and unreasonable actions of the United Kingdom will lead to a clear response from Europe.”
