London, Thanasis Gavos
THE Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom Liz Trace reaffirms in Parliament the intention of the government to present in the coming weeks a bill for changes in the terms of the Brexit Protocol about Northern Ireland.
The protocol, signed in 2019 by Johnson government provides for controls on certain products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to ensure compliance with the rules of the European single market on the island of Ireland in order to avoid the re-establishment of a “hard” border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Ireland.
The protocol is outbreak of tension between London and Brussels for some time now, however, the issue has escalated following the refusal of the Democratic Union Party (DUP) to join a coalition with the nationalist Sin Fein following the Northern Ireland parliamentary elections on 5 May.
The DUP sets as a condition for the formation of a co-government (which is provided for in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998), the change of the protocol. The party and the union community believe that controls on products undermine the position of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.
Ms Τρας she cited, among other things, in her statement to the House of Commons the political stalemate in Northern Ireland over London’s decision to draft a bill for the controversial unilateral amendment of the protocol.
As he said, there is “Need for action” to restore political stability in Northern Ireland and to safeguard the Good Friday Peace Agreement.
He stressed that the government clearly considers that the introduction of the bill is in line with international law and the peace agreement, a position that is being challenged by Europeans and the British opposition.
The Labor Party commented that the unilateral amendment of an international agreement constitutes a violation of international law and in fact with the object of an agreement that the government itself Johnson characterized “Triumph” just two years ago.
The head of the parliamentary committee for Northern Ireland, Simon Hor, who is a member of the ruling Conservative Party (Toris), also opposed the intention to submit a bill. “Respect for the rule of law flows deep into Tory’s veins and I find it striking that a Tory government needs a reminder of this,” he said.
Ms Trass emphasized that the aim was not to repeal the protocol, but to make some corrections that would make it viable and that there would be consultation with businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland.
He outlined a number of changes requested by London which, he said, would reduce controls and bureaucracy in trade from Britain to Northern Ireland, without undermining single market rules and continuing to ensure that we have hard border restoration on the island of Ireland.
The basis of the British proposals concerns the separation of products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain into those destined to remain there and those destined to be exported to Ireland, ie to EU territory. Therefore, the additional controls set out in the protocol should be eliminated. London is also calling for Northern Ireland to be subject to the VAT regime of the United Kingdom and not the EU, as is the case with the Brexit protocol.
“Our preference is still a solution through negotiations with the EU,” she said. “We are open to further talks,” he said, adding that he had invited the EU Vice President to London for a new meeting. Maros Shevtsovich.
In his first reaction, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson called the Tras announcement a “good start”, but reserved decisions on a consensus on forming a government in Northern Ireland until he saw how things would turn out regarding the protocol. “The minister knows that actions speak louder than words,” Sir Jeffrey told Trass.
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