The “Northern Ireland Agreement: The Way Forward” is the so-called “order document” submitted by the British government on Wednesday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson quickly got to the point in the preface. He wrote that, in fact, the circumstances at the time justified the suspension of important parts of the protocol regulating relations between the northern and southern parts of the island of Ireland. But he still gave the EU a chance: if it abandons its “rigid approach” and renegotiates the agreement, it can find a “new balance”. This is close to extortion. From the perspective of Brussels, this is the so-called “non-starter”.
On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Lein directly rejected Johnson’s request. “The EU will continue to exert creativity and flexibility within the framework of the agreement,” she said on Twitter after Johnson called her at noon. “But we will not renegotiate.” A spokeswoman pointedly added that the president has listened to Johnson’s “latest position” of the agreement. There are no arrangements for any meetings between the negotiators.
The European Commission has shown itself to be flexible
The night before, Maroš Šefčovič ruled out the possibility of renegotiating the agreement. The vice president in charge of relations with the United Kingdom recalled that the protocol was a “joint settlement” reached with Johnson in October 2019. His then chief negotiator, David Frost, had been approved. The latter is now in the United Kingdom. Minister of Archives of Parliament. In order to meet the challenges of Brexit that Johnson chose.
At the end of June, it elaborated on the committee’s understanding of flexible and creative solutions. It extended the period during which the agreement is still suspended for three months. Before the end of September, frozen meat products imported from the British Isles to Northern Ireland are not subject to strict sanitation controls applicable to the domestic market. They are necessary because these products may eventually reach the other side of Ireland’s inland border-thus entering the borderless European market. The committee agreed to the extension only because London agreed to provide its own health certificates and label all products so that they can only be sold in Northern Ireland.
Johnson now intends to keep the system permanently, and it will apply to almost all products. The government argues that the risk of them landing in the southern part of the island is small; otherwise, people may punish violations with high fines. The EU has some room for negotiation on this point, but in principle it cannot outsource the control of the internal market to a third country. This is their main principle in all negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Theresa May agreed to a provision that, if in doubt, not only Northern Ireland but the entire Kingdom will maintain a customs union with the European Union. Johnson firmly opposed. Brussels agreed to a solution to make the British Isles completely independent-but only because in return, all imports into Northern Ireland will be cleared in accordance with EU rules.
In addition, the European Court of Justice remains responsible for any disputes arising from the implementation of the protocol. London wants to get rid of this burden, which is true for all negotiations. On the other hand, the committee must decide whether to take the next step in the infringement procedure it unilaterally adopted against the British government in March—thus getting closer to a decision in Luxembourg.
