When Liz Truss announced her resignation as British Prime Minister in London, a good 300 kilometers to the south-east, many top European politicians were walking past journalists. Because at the entrance to the Europa building in Brussels, the press was waiting this Thursday for the participants of the EU summit to arrive. Some couldn’t resist poking fun at London: “I hope I can remember how many British prime ministers I’ve survived,” says Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he’s looking forward to Truss’s successor – “I think it will be number five” since he took office. The Irish Taoiseach, i.e. head of government, Micheál Martin explains rather soberly that he would like the new prime minister to be appointed “as soon as possible”.
This wish will probably come true for Martin. The fact that Great Britain will soon have an effective government is not only important for neighboring Ireland, but for the entire EU. After all, the British stand side by side with the EU in the economic war against Russia. At the same time, there are points of contention, such as the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocoland they can only be solved – if at all – with a stable government in London.
For this reason alone, many MEPs are hoping for calmer waters for the future British prime minister: “In an extremely challenging time, this government crisis must not lead to a standstill in the country,” says CDU MEP David McAllister, who heads the Foreign Affairs Committee. Green MP Anna Cavazzini is betting that the new prime minister will have more leeway to settle the quarrels with the EU. “Liz Truss was so concerned with her own survival domestically that she was pretty quiet on the Northern Ireland Protocol,” says the Chair of the Internal Market Committee.
The protocol is intended to ensure peace
This protocol is intended to prevent customs officers from having to check lorries between the Republic of Ireland and British Northern Ireland. After all, it could put a strain on the peace process if the barely perceptible border became visible again. The protocol therefore stipulates that the former troubled province continues to adhere to EU product rules and customs regulations despite Brexit. One consequence is that deliveries of goods from England, Wales or Scotland to Northern Ireland have to be checked. After all, once trucks have left the ports in Northern Ireland, they can drive to the Republic of Ireland and from there to the other EU countries without being checked.
However, the British government describes the customs bureaucracy as vexatious and has extended transitional periods on its own. In addition, the Conservatives brought a law, with which the government gives itself the right to ignore parts of the protocol. The EU Commission strict Infringement Proceedings but at the same time made suggestions on how to reduce bureaucracy. The successor to Liz Truss now has to deal with this.