According to EU proposals
London and Brussels are fighting for a Northern Ireland solution
Britain’s Brexit Minister David Frost is not happy with the deal he helped negotiate. Photo: Matt Dunham / AP / dpa
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The dispute over rules for Northern Ireland after Brexit is entering the next round. The EU Commission has made concessions – it is uncertain whether that will be enough for the British.
The British Brexit Minister David Frost is sticking to controversial demands despite the EU proposals in the dispute over special rules for Northern Ireland.
“We recognize that the EU has tried very hard,” said Frost to the Politico online portal (Friday). Nevertheless, he again insisted that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should not be the highest arbitration body for problems relating to Northern Ireland.
“Fundamental changes” are necessary here if a solution is to be found, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s confidante. The Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee, Anna Cavazzini (Greens), said the Commission had gone “to the limit of pain” with the proposals.
Frost negotiated the Brexit treaty himself. He met the EU Brexit Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Brussels on Friday. Initially, nothing was known about the content of the talks.
The Northern Ireland Protocol provides that the British province will remain part of the EU customs union and the internal market even after Brexit, which is why, from the EU perspective, the ECJ must be responsible. The regulation avoids a hard border with the EU member Republic of Ireland, which would presumably lead to new tensions in the former civil war area. However, this created a customs border with the rest of the UK, and there were severe restrictions on intra-UK trade.
Sefcovic had promised considerable relief for the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The tests of quality standards for food and other goods are to be reduced just as significantly as customs formalities. Medicines should also be able to reach the British province without restrictions. There should be exceptions for typical products such as sausages.
The EU proposals were welcomed in Great Britain, while the response in Northern Ireland was more critical. The leading Protestant unionist party, the DUP, called for the customs border in the Irish Sea to be completely lifted. For Cavazzini, the announced easing is a reason for caution: “To be honest, I am concerned that the integrity of the internal market is also at risk to some extent.”
Conservatives dissatisfied with their own deal
The background to their concern is that attempts are currently being made to find a long-term solution. However, if the UK were to relax standards in the future, goods could enter the EU in an uncontrolled manner that did not comply with European rules.
According to Cavazzini, it is uncertain whether London will accept the EU offer: “I do believe that the British government is not really acting rationally.” This has to do with domestic political dynamics. The Northern Ireland Protocol is a thorn in Johnson’s side because the British province is doing better than the rest of the UK and this shows that Brexit has problematic consequences for Great Britain.