One of the Brexit sticking points has always been the Northern Ireland question. A hard limit had to be prevented. But after just a few months there is a dispute over the regulations. Also at the G7 summit.
The dispute between the EU and Great Britain over Brexit special rules for Northern Ireland threatens to escalate further. EU top representatives urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 summit with clear words to comply with agreements, but the head of government sees the EU as an obligation.
“Both sides have to implement what we have agreed,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday after talking to Johnson. The EU is absolutely in agreement on this issue. French President Emmanuel Macron also warned that Great Britain must keep the word given to the Europeans and respect the framework of the Brexit treaty.
Johnson, on the other hand, threatened further unilateral measures to protect the territorial integrity of his country and did not explicitly rule out drawing the agreed emergency clause for the Irish border, the so-called Article 16. That would be controls on the border between Northern Ireland and the EU -Release member Ireland.
The prime minister told Sky News that some EU politicians do not understand that the UK is a country. “I have to get that into their heads.” Johnson sees the ball on the EU side. The EU must be clear that “we will do what is necessary,” said Johnson, who also spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel about Northern Ireland on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Northern Ireland regulation has already caused riots
The reason for the dispute is the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed only a few months ago and is part of the Brexit Treaty. It is intended to prevent controls on the border between Northern Ireland and the EU state Ireland. The aim was to avoid new tensions in the former civil war region. However, the agreements have now created a customs border with the rest of the UK, which has led to trade barriers. As a result, there were already riots, mostly Protestant supporters of the Union with Great Britain.
From EU circles it was said that they had already shown themselves to be very flexible. An EU official warned that rhetoric should be turned down and that solutions should be actively sought under the Northern Ireland Protocol. The EU has been accusing Great Britain of failing to implement Brexit agreements for months. In particular, Brussels criticizes the fact that agreements to control the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the other parts of the United Kingdom are not being complied with.
London had extended transition periods without prior agreement, while food from Great Britain is not checked on arrival in Northern Ireland. The government justified the move by stating that supplies in the British province would otherwise be at risk. Johnson had brought in his Brexit Minister David Frost especially for the talks with the EU leaders at the G7 summit location Carbis Bay.
The Group of Seven (G7) will meet until this Sunday. These include the USA, Germany, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. The EU also participates. US President Joe Biden, who has Irish roots, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau support the EU view that the agreements must be kept.
The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, called on the EU and Great Britain to come to an agreement. They very much hope there is no trade war. “It is too expensive and not what the world currently needs,” said the WTO Director General.
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