The British government on Monday presented a bill to unilaterally modify the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, one of the most controversial parts of Brexit, with the aim of facilitating trade between Great Britain and the northern territory. -Irish. The proposal has angered EU officials, who threaten reprisals.
The law, if passed, would exempt British goods from customs controls in trade with Northern Ireland, do away with taxes and give Boris Johnson’s government other powers to amend the protocol, negotiated to avoid a hard border – with checkpoints and checks—within the Irish island. Without the agreement, it would be necessary to create an inspection barrier, since the Republic of Ireland belongs to the European Union, and the Northern Irish territory, to the United Kingdom.
The project highlights disagreements between the European Union and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Bloc officials denounced what would be a violation of an international agreement. The prime minister said the changes were legal and “relatively trivial”.
Boris Johnson, who survived a vote of no confidence last week, has promised a package of economic measures in a bid to strengthen his leadership at the head of the country and regain support in his Conservative Party.
On Monday, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said the new law would “end an unsustainable situation” in which Northern Irelanders are treated differently from the rest of the UK. She reiterated that London remains open to negotiations, but on condition that the EU accepts “profound” changes to the protocol.
The EU has been willing to make adjustments to the agreement, but talks between the parties have not progressed. European officials warn that if London goes ahead with its plan, “they must respond with all available measures”.
Since the start of Brexit negotiations in 2017, protecting the precarious balance of forces in Northern Ireland, a British region that is historically and culturally very close to the neighboring Republic of Ireland – a member of the EU – has always been the biggest hurdle to overcome. And despite the United Kingdom’s official departure from the bloc, completed in January 2021, the protocol has always been a source of tension.
Before presenting the text to Parliament, Truss spoke with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney. The first stated that the EU proposed “solutions” and stated that “unilateral actions have shaken mutual trust”. After the bill was introduced, he spoke of “great concern”.
Coveney, for his part, criticized the text, which he said “violates British commitments in terms of international law”. He also accused Truss of “not having entered into meaningful negotiations with the EU”.
The controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol is a consequence of Brexit, which removed the United Kingdom from the European common market and made products that cross borders between former partners subject to customs and health inspections. Since Ireland is in the EU and Northern Ireland is not, a divorce would require creating a hard border on the Irish island, which could rekindle a still smoldering conflict between Northern Ireland’s former rivals.
The compromise formula between the two parties was to keep Northern Ireland within the European bloc’s single market for goods. The inspection would be carried out on the maritime border between Great Britain – which includes England, Scotland and Wales – and the Irish island. in 1998, but still latent. Despite having signed the agreement, Boris Johnson did not fulfill it and threatened more than once to simply ignore the commitments.
After the announcement of the project that modifies part of the treaty signed by Boris himself, the US expressed its concern about the possibility of the UK unilaterally modifying the application of a text intended to guarantee peace.
