Status: 05/10/2022 7:30 p.m
At Brexit, it was agreed that special customs rules would apply to Northern Ireland. Chancellor Scholz and Belgian Prime Minister de Croo are now urgently warning Great Britain against rescinding this agreement. The EU is also clear.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo have warned the British government against terminating the customs regulations for Northern Ireland agreed at Brexit – the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. After a conversation with de Croo in Berlin, Scholz said the protocol was a “good regulation”.
No one should override or break the rules we have agreed upon together.
The EU Commission is ready with the greatest pragmatism to solve problems in the implementation of the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. “But that should also be the path we continue to take,” said Scholz. De Croo also warned London against unilateral steps: “Our message is very clear: Don’t touch it. That’s something we agreed on.” A termination of the protocols would render all Brexit rules obsolete, explained de Croo at the meeting with Scholz.
Sefcovic: Renegotiation not an option
The protocol aims to avoid border controls between EU member Republic of Ireland and Great Britain’s Northern Ireland. However, goods must be checked when they are brought into Northern Ireland from the UK in order to comply with EU standards. In fact, a customs border runs through the United Kingdom.
The EU Commission has rejected calls for renegotiations should this agreement be breached. The protocol is an integral part of a “positive and stable relationship” between the European Union and the United Kingdom, said EU Vice President Maros Sefcovic. Brussels is open to further negotiations on the implementation of the agreement. A fundamental renegotiation is “not an option” and the EU agrees on that, according to Sefcovic. He warned London against taking unilateral steps.
The Irish government in Dublin also addressed warning words to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that it was an international contract. London must meet its obligations.
Difficult government formation
The dispute over the protocol is also hampering the formation of a government in Northern Ireland. In the parliamentary elections, the Catholic Sinn Fein party was the strongest party for the first time. It aims to unite Northern Ireland and Ireland. However, the 1998 peace agreement stipulates that the regional government must be led jointly by Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists.
In practice, this now means that the pro-British DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) must agree to the formation of a government. However, the DUP is against the special status for Northern Ireland in the Brexit agreement and has so far blocked the formation of a new regional government.
Johnson sees protocol as not ‘viable’
After the election, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin had already warned British Prime Minister Johnson against wanting to unilaterally override the rules agreed with the EU for trade in British-led Northern Ireland after Brexit.
A decision in this regard has not yet been made, a spokesman for Johnson said on Tuesday. In a telephone conversation with Martin, however, Johnson had emphasized that the regional elections in Northern Ireland had “shown again that the protocol in its current form is not sustainable”.
Reports of Termination
According to a newspaper report, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss wants to scrap large parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The ministry is said to have drafted a law that would unilaterally lift all controls on goods from Great Britain. A corresponding announcement is expected next week, according to the newspaper report.