The British Government argues that the controls provided for in the Protocol on products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in practice affect businesses and citizens.
London: Thanasis Gavos
The highly controversial bill which unilaterally amends it Northern Ireland Protocol included in its agreement Brexit presents in the afternoon in the House of Commons the British government.
The move has been criticized both by Brussels and Dublin and within the UK as an act that violates international law, namely the Brexit agreement.
However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented in a morning radio interview that it would be “outrageous” on the part of the EU to open a trade war with London, as European officials have warned.
The British government claims that the controls provided for in the Protocol on products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in practice affect businesses and citizens, threaten the Good Friday peace agreement and undermine the integrity of the British market.
The DUP, the largest Union party in Northern Ireland, has stepped up pressure on London as it refuses to agree to form a local government with Republican Sinn Féin. He cites the Protocol as a reason, claiming that it undermines Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom.
Europeans argue that controls are necessary to protect the European single market, and that the agreement was signed by the Johnson government less than three years ago to prevent the reopening of a tough border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
In a morning meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Tras, who will present the bill later, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveni and Commission Vice-President Maros Shevtsovich reiterated their opposition to the move.
Speaking to LBC, however, Boris Johnson said it was “a bureaucratic change that needs to be made, frankly a relatively insignificant series of adjustments.” He accused the EU of “extremely excessive reaction”.
For her part, Ms Tras said after the morning talks that the British government still prefers a negotiated solution, but that the EU should also be prepared to make changes to the Protocol.
Johnson’s Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis said the unilateral changes to the Protocol were “legal and correct” amid demands that the government disclose the legal advice it had received.
Among the changes to the Protocol that the British bill will bring will be the creation of a “green lane” for products from Great Britain destined to remain in Northern Ireland and a “red lane” for products passing through Ireland and therefore into its territory. EU. For the products of the first category, the removal of the controls is foreseen.
The bill will also abolish the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in matters relating to the implementation of the Protocol.
According to the Financial Times, in addition to the possibility of unilateral abolition of almost every aspect of the Protocol by the British government in the event that it is judged to cause significant economic or political turmoil in Northern Ireland.
It is no coincidence that Ms. Tras is expected to invoke the need to protect the Good Friday peace agreement on the proposed changes.
However, apart from the opposition and the Europeans, the reactions from members of the ruling Conservative Party are also strong. Reports even mention names of deputy ministers who may resign in response to the unilateral amendment of the Protocol.
The note also saw a note circulating among Conservative MPs, according to which the unilateral amendment of the international agreement “affects the United Kingdom and everything that the Conservatives stand for.”
He described the move by the British government and the Confederation of British Industry, which represents the country’s businesses, as “useless”.
