In the ongoing debate over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the British government’s Brexit representative is calling for “significant changes”. The previous rules are unsuitable for securing peace in the former civil war region.
The dispute between the British government and the EU over the Brexit rules for Northern Ireland is entering the next round. Now London is calling for “substantial changes” to the rules set out in the Brexit Agreement as the Northern Ireland Protocol. “We believe that these changes are necessary in the situation we are in right now,” said Brexit representative David Frost on Wednesday in the House of Lords in London.
The background to the dispute are the rules for Northern Ireland set out in the agreement. According to these, Northern Ireland is still subject to the rules of the EU internal market. This is to prevent the need to carry out physical checks between the British province and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU. However, this rule means that deliveries from England, Wales or Scotland to Northern Ireland must be checked.
If goods controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are reintroduced, it is feared that the conflict in the former civil war region could flare up again. The majority Catholic supporters of union with Ireland insist on an open border with the neighbor. The fact that trade with the other parts of the country is made more difficult by the protocol is in turn causing tension, especially among the predominantly Protestant supporters of the Union with Great Britain.
The previous regulations are not suitable to secure peace in the former civil war region, said Frost. “As we have tried to implement the Protocol, it has become clear that its burdens have become a source of significant and ongoing damage to life and livelihood.” Therefore, a new equilibrium must now be created to facilitate trade in goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Also, EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice should no longer play a role in monitoring compliance with the agreement. Frost proposed a so-called “period of standstill” to the EU, during which the transition periods that had previously been in force should be extended and legal disputes paused.
Brussels accuses the UK government of not properly implementing the protocol. London, on the other hand, accuses the EU Commission of interpreting the agreement too petty.