Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the EU’s position on Northern Ireland was supported by the US President because Brussels had prepared a series of “ladders” of retaliatory options, including the suspension of UK trade due to Boris Johnson’s threat to abandon the current UK trade agreement protocol. Arrangements after Brexit.
After the meeting at the White House, the President of the European Commission stated that Joe Biden agreed with the EU’s view that Johnson should not subvert the agreement that had been negotiated tortuously. Northern Ireland protocol.
If the British government continues to threaten to suspend certain arrangements designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, the European Commission is expected to propose various options for retaliation to EU countries next week.
Von der Lein told reporters in Washington: “I think President Biden and I will jointly assess that keeping the withdrawal agreement and complying with the agreement is important to the peace and stability of the island of Ireland.
“The agreement managed to solve the difficult cycle caused by Brexit. Now Northern Ireland has access to the single market, the UK single market and the European single market. So the situation is positive. We hope to make every effort to reduce red tape in order to make the most of the agreement. May be flexible.”
The White House later issued a statement stating that the two leaders “expressed their continued support for the political and economic stability of Northern Ireland” during the meeting.
The EU diplomat was warned in the pessimistic assessment of the EU’s Brexit Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on Wednesday that his British diplomat, David Frost, In recent negotiations on this issue has been making unrealistic demands.
It is understood that the German representative responded that the EU Must be prepared to be hit hard If Downing Street finally decides to suspend part of the agreement.
“Withdrawal from agreements and protocols is a prerequisite for trade agreements,” the Berlin ambassador said, according to an account. “It should not be forgotten when thinking about countermeasures.”
The withdrawal agreement allows Northern Ireland to remain in the single market and to delineate a customs border in the lower reaches of the Irish Sea. However, according to Article 16, some agreements can be suspended as a “guarantee measure” to deal with trade distortions or social difficulties.
However, the scope of the suspension must be “proportionate,” and the European Commission is expected to recommend that Brussels must adjust its response if the provision is triggered by No. 10. A senior EU diplomat said: “The EU’s response must be fully prepared, strong, moderate and legal.” “Our response to the UK has also received attention from other trading partners.”
Although the trade part of the agreement may be suspended, the EU can also retaliate through targeted tariffs or even termination of arrangements that allow data flows between the EU and the UK.
An EU source said that one year’s advance notice of the suspension of the trade agreement has the advantage of “opening a new chapter” and forcing the UK to take the process seriously, but the diplomat added that he did not want to “escalate” the issue.
Frost said in a speech in the House of Lords on Wednesday that he still believes that the negotiations on Northern Ireland, now entering the fourth week, may be successful, and urged the EU to remain calm.
He said: “I gently advise our European friends to stay calm and proceed proportionally.” “They may remind themselves that no government or country is better than this government for the stability and security of Northern Ireland and Belfast Good Friday. The agreement is more interested.”
Q&A
What is Article 16?
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Article 16 is a clause in the Northern Ireland Protocol and one of the key elements of the Brexit agreement, which legally consolidated the UK’s status of leaving the European Union in January 2020. It allows either party to take measures, or take “safeguard measures” in the treaty, if the protocol causes “serious economic, social or environmental difficulties that may persist or cause trade diversion.”
The party that triggered it must prove that the agreement has caused “serious economic, social or environmental” difficulties. “Safeguard measures” are not yet defined in law, but they must be “appropriate” to the damage caused, and may include a semi-permanent suspension of inspections of goods flowing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Invoking Article 16 will not immediately have a huge impact on the local area. This is because many inspections have been unilaterally suspended by the UK, and the Article 16 procedure itself triggers a formal dispute procedure that requires both parties to negotiate to resolve the dispute.
Lisa Ocarol Brexit response
However, Frost reiterated that Britain is willing to trigger Article 16 and warned Downing Street will not sit back and watch the EU’s retaliatory measures.
He said: “Of course, by then, we have the right to judge for ourselves how much value we can attach to their commitment to support the peace process and the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland, not to protect their interests. Our own interests.”
Frost and Šefčovič will meet again on Friday. Frost told the House of Lords that if it is clear that no agreement can be reached, “Article 16 safeguards will be our only choice.”
He added: “In my opinion, this negotiation process is not over yet. Although we have been talking for nearly four weeks, the negotiations may still have not been carefully reviewed, including many methods proposed by the United Kingdom.
“So there is more to be done, and of course I will not give up this process unless and until it is very clear that there is nothing more to do. Of course we have not yet reached that time.”
