London Thanasis Gavos

The British government and the European Commission are very close to an agreement to amend the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol accompanying the Brexit deal.

A deal is likely to be announced later in the day as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Windsor in the early afternoon for “final talks”.

Mr Sunak will brief his cabinet later in the afternoon and if an agreement has been reached, he and Ms Von der Leyen will later hold a press conference.

Possibly there will also be a statement by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.

Downing Street said Rishi Sunak wanted to ensure that any deal “corrects the practical problems on the ground, ensures the free flow of trade across the UK, protects Northern Ireland’s place in our Union and restores sovereignty over the citizens of Northern Ireland’.

The representative of the British Prime Minister added that there have been intensive negotiations with the EU in recent months.

In a joint statement, Sunak and Von der Leyen said they agreed to continue working closely towards mutual, practical solutions to the various complex challenges posed by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol is causing major tensions in the UK as it provides for checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as a way of avoiding the reintroduction of a “hard border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is a member of the EU and of the single market.

These controls are condemned by Unionists in Northern Ireland and the far right wing of the ruling Conservative Party, arguing that they create a de facto border in the Irish Sea, undermining the integrity of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland’s place in it.

The information states that the changes to the protocol that Mr. Sunack has achieved provide for checks only on products that will fall under the “red band”, that is, that will be destined for export to the Republic of Ireland. Products that will be transported from Great Britain and remain in the Northern Ireland market will be subject to a “green lane” without controls.

The second big issue has to do with the extent of the European Court of Justice’s jurisdiction over Northern Ireland’s Brexit-related cases. The compromise believed to have been reached between the two sides is that a case will now only be heard by the European Court of Justice when there is a referral from the Northern Ireland courts.

The third change to the protocol is believed to be to do with Northern Ireland’s right to review new European laws affecting its relationship with the Republic of Ireland.

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday that the two sides were “on the brink of a deal”.

However, Mr Sunack has to contend with the negative attitude of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and ultra-Eurosceptics in his party, whose ranks in this case include former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The DUP has withdrawn from Northern Ireland’s local devolved government, where the largest unionist party and the largest republican party (Sinn Féin) are expected to govern, due to objections to the current protocol.

On the other hand, the opposition parties in Westminster have said that if the deal is reasonable then they will support it.

In an interview with the Sunday Times Mr Sunak recalled that he believes in Brexit, voted for Brexit and campaigned for Brexit and therefore wants to show that Brexit works for every part of the UK.

“There are backlogs in Brexit and I want to close them,” said the British prime minister.