Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet for dinner during a trade attempt to make progress on a post-Brexit trade deal on December 9, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium ).
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LONDON – The European Union threatens legal action against the UK over differences in its post-Brexit trade agreements.
As part of its exit from the EU, the UK agreed to carry out controls on goods crossing the Irish Sea, from Scotland, Wales and England to Northern Ireland. The latter has remained part of the EU’s single market for goods to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland in what is known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The UK had until the end of this month to introduce these controls, but has decided to extend the implementation period until October. A measure that the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said violates its agreement and therefore international law.
Maros Sefcovic, Vice-President of the European Commission, “expressed the EU’s strong concerns about the unilateral action of the United Kingdom, as this constitutes a violation of the relevant substantial provisions of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland,” he said. the commission in a statement on Wednesday ahead of a call between EU and UK representatives.
“The European Commission will respond to these developments in accordance with the established legal means,” the statement also said.
The UK government has reported that it informed the commission “earlier this week” before making the announcement public and that extending the grace period for its implementation is a “temporary” “technical step” to provide more time for companies such as supermarkets and parcel operators to adapt. and implement the new requirements. “
Supermarkets and other food retailers will need health certificates when shipping animal products.
Simon Coveney, Ireland’s head of foreign affairs, said in a statement that the UK’s decision was “profoundly useless in building the relationship of trust and partnership that is key to the implementation of the Protocol”.
“The aim of the Irish government remains to ensure that the Protocol, as an international agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom, is fully implemented. It is the agreed solution to the problems created on the island of Ireland by Brexit.” added.
Coveney said he expressed regret for the change during a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and Lord Forst, the cabinet office minister responsible for EU-UK relations.
This is not the first time that Brussels and London have disagreed with their post-Brexit agreements.
In October last year, the EU launched lawsuits against the UK after the government introduced a bill that would have overturned the same agreement on Northern Ireland.
In the end, after several weeks of meetings and discussions, the UK decided to withdraw the controversial clauses from the bill, which paved the way for a trade deal to be agreed on 24 December.