When American President Joe Biden travels to the G-7 summit in Great Britain on Friday, he is likely to use his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to also talk about the consequences of leaving the EU.

The sympathies of the declared Brexit opponent of Irish descent are clearly with the EU member state Ireland, but recently Biden also warned the European Union to show more pragmatism in border traffic between the British main island and Northern Ireland.

This has been the subject of heated debates between the British government and the European Commission in recent days – with threats and warnings on both sides.

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

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This Wednesday, Vice President of the EU Commission Maroš Šefčovič will hold official talks in London.

He previously spoke aggressively in the EU-critical newspaper Daily Telegraph.

"If the UK takes further unilateral steps in the coming weeks, the European Union will react without restraint, swiftly, forcefully and consistently to ensure the UK honors its international obligations," Šefčovič wrote in a guest post.

The government in London reacted promptly.

Agriculture and Environment Minister George Eustice accused the EU on Tuesday of not making serious efforts to implement the Brexit agreement in a "workable" manner and to guarantee the agreed "free access to goods in Northern Ireland".

"Looking at it in daylight we have to ask ourselves whether it really makes sense to ban the sale of sausages and chicken cuts made in Britain for sale anywhere in Northern Ireland - that's unquestionably meschugge."

The "Northern Ireland Protocol" in the Brexit Treaty provides for certain deadlines in which various goods can still pass unhindered through the new goods border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain for a while.

When the deadline for many agricultural products and postal parcels was due to expire at the end of March, London unilaterally extended the exemption until October.

Brussels then initiated legal action.

The end of June is now the deadline for other products that enjoy particularly high sales during the barbecue season, including sausages.

In the past few days, London had publicly toyed with the idea of ​​unilaterally extending this deadline as well, should no agreement be reached with the European Union beforehand.

America is the guarantor of the peace treaty

In Brussels, there are fears of further breaches of contract and the argument is that the EU internal market should be protected - Northern Ireland has been part of the British customs union since Brexit, but has remained part of the European internal market.

The European Commission also accuses London of withholding customs data contrary to the agreements and of not having installed any physical checkpoints.

The British government, on the other hand, relies on the guarantee of free movement of goods in its own country and is promoting a more flexible implementation of the contract, including digitization of the control processes.

Boris Johnson's negotiator David Frost - now a minister - recently accused the European Union of "legal puritanism" and asked that it use "common sense" instead.

London is particularly concerned that supply shortages could fuel tense sentiment in Northern Ireland.

As every year, large marches by unionists, but also by nationalists, are expected in July - a tradition that often increases the willingness to use violence.

Brexit has already claimed a political victim.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster was pressured into resigning by her party.

At the end of the month she will also leave the post of prime minister.

Regional politician Paul Givan will take over her position.

Business in Northern Ireland, on the other hand, is pleading for an end to the mutual finger-pointing and for pragmatic solutions to be found.

London and Brussels not only accuse each other of questionable interpretations of the withdrawal agreement, but also of undermining the Northern Ireland peace treaty of 1998.

That doesn't make it any easier for Biden, who has repeatedly highlighted America's "unwavering" support for the Good Friday Agreement.

The United States is a guarantor of the peace treaty.

Recently, 25 Democrats and Republicans from both houses of Congress called on the President to appoint a special envoy for Northern Ireland "to support the peace process in difficult times".