The plan to inspect certain imported goods after Brexit Northern Ireland After negotiations with the EU reached a deadlock, the UK has suspended it indefinitely.
As part of the diplomatic debate, the grace period aimed at easing the island’s transition to new trade arrangements and inspections has been extended twice “Sausage War”.
Monday night David FrostThe leader who is leading negotiations with the European Union on renewing the disputed Northern Ireland agreement revealed a new extension and did not set a new deadline for completing the negotiations.
A government source said that the UK hopes to “create room for negotiations every three to six months, and the deadline is not imminent.” They added that they are transparent about the EU’s decision and that the statement is “coordinated if there is no agreement.”
The source claimed that setting a new deadline in a few months, the current grace period will expire in October, “does not help create a creative environment for negotiations”, so the agreement “will continue to operate as it is now. , As long as the negotiations are still in progress”.
It is understood that although Brussels refuses to reach a formal agreement on this move, the EU will not initiate legal proceedings to extend the status quo. According to sources, some major EU leaders think there is no benefit in confronting the Boris Johnson government.
This question was raised during the recent meeting of the French President Emmanuel Macron with Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands. A diplomatic source said: “It feels like developments in Afghanistan show how important it is to maintain a good relationship with the UK, and the purpose is to make things less interesting.”
The grace period is for a smooth transition to the new bureaucratic requirements for goods exported from the UK to Northern Ireland -Including cold meats and other foods, leading to the “sausage war” label.
In a written statement on Monday, Frost said, “In order to provide space for potential further discussions and to provide companies with certainty and stability during any such discussions, the government will continue to operate on the current basis. protocol”.
He added: “This includes the grace period and easements currently in effect…We will ensure that reasonable notice is provided when these arrangements change, so that businesses and citizens are prepared.”
Frost and Taoist, Michael Martin, Met at a meeting in Oxford over the weekend to discuss this issue. It is understood that the Irish delegation participating in the meeting admitted that it is impossible to reach an agreement on the new arrangement before September 30, and the grace period is expected to be extended.
At the meeting, Frost urged the European Union to take the British proposal seriously and said that it is seeking to make changes in three areas: the entry of goods into Northern Ireland, the standards for goods in the region, and the governance arrangements for this trade.
Also attending the weekend British Irish Association meeting were Irish Foreign Minister Simon Covenney, Northern Ireland Chief Minister Paul Given, Lancaster Secretary Michel Gove, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis and EU representatives. .
It is understood that officials from both sides continued to negotiate in August, but the EU did not respond to this issue. British order document published On the issue of July.
British sources said that their first goal is to determine and agree to the “scope” of the negotiations, which must include an agreement to activate Article 13 of the protocol.
