Northern Ireland: London wants to renegotiate post-Brexit measures
UK Brexit Minister David Frost asks the EU to renegotiate the agreement signed in 2019. AFP / Archivos
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
A status quo for Northern Ireland.
This Wednesday, David Frost, the Minister for Brexit in the United Kingdom, spoke in the House of Lords.
He asks the EU to renegotiate the agreement signed in 2019. This point has taken a central place in the Brexit treaty.
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With our correspondent in London,
Marie Boëda
“
We cannot continue like this
”. Lord David Frost wants to extend the grace period on the Northern Irish protocol. That is to say, put on hold again customs controls between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The aim is to allow all goods from the UK to arrive safely in Northern Ireland. The Brexit Minister also wants to remove the involvement of the European institutions in the control of this protocol. In other words, take back control completely and sweep away this part of the Brexit deal.
“
My Lord,
” he said, “
the difficulties we face in implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol are now the main obstacle to building a relationship with the EU.
"
The threat of article 16
At the start of the year, tensions erupted as Belfast no longer received the usual goods in transit through Great Britain.
We talked about the sausage war, because the North Irish no longer had access to certain foodstuffs.
This blockage jeopardizes the Good Friday agreement, the peace treaty between the two Ireland.
If no compromise is found, the UK threatens to use Article 16 which allows an agreement to be suspended under extreme circumstances.
We are sure to be there soon.
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To read also:
Northern Ireland: a unionist party of July 12 under tension after Brexit
Brussels excludes any renegotiation
The European Commission ruled out on Wednesday any “renegotiation” of the protocol concluded with the United Kingdom on post-Brexit customs arrangements in Northern Ireland, according to a press release from Vice-President of the European Executive Maros Sefcovic.
The European bloc is ready to continue the dialogue and to "find innovative solutions" with London, but "within the framework of the protocol", "we will not accept a renegotiation of the protocol", indicates Maros Sefcovic, recalling that these measures harshly negotiated had been ratified by the British Parliament.
The two camps remain in their position.
A few hours after the British government's request, the European Commission has already responded with a firm no.
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