The European Union will have to respond “with all the means at its disposal” in the event that the United Kingdom decides to unilaterally amend the Northern Ireland status agreement after Brexit, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefkovic said today.
Earlier, British Foreign Secretary Liz Tras threatened to propose a bill “in the coming weeks” to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol. “This protocol is an international agreement signed by the EU and the United Kingdom. Unilateral actions contrary to an international agreement are unacceptable,” Sefkovic said in a statement.
According to the European official, the flexible measures proposed by the Commission, which “can make a difference on the ground”, still need to be considered.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Cowney has also expressed “grave concern” about a British bill that would bypass certain parts of the Protocol.
“Such unilateral actions in the face of an internationally binding treaty are undermining confidence and will only make it more difficult to find solutions,” he said, while welcoming London ‘s reassurance that it would prefer to find a negotiated solution with the European Union.
Due to the political stalemate in Northern Ireland and the province’s trade problems with the rest of the United Kingdom, London wants to renegotiate the Protocol thoroughly, while the EU has said it is ready for only minor changes. After months of fruitless discussions, Tras told the British Parliament today that the government intends to introduce a bill in the coming weeks, which will bring changes to the Protocol, without repealing it. “Our preference remains a negotiated solution with the EU,” he added.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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