Brexit: Maros Sefcovic warns UK about Northern Ireland Protocol
Democratic US Congressman Brendan Boyle spoke after attending a meeting of the influential Irish-American group in the US Congress on the issue on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by the Vice President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, and the Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney.
There are many members of Congress who share my deep concern about the rampant disregard for international law displayed by some in London.
Last week, the European Union said it would take legal action after the British government unilaterally extended a grace period for controls on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move that, according to Brussels, violates the terms of the EU Agreement. Withdrawal.
The British government insists that the measures are necessary and proportionate and do no such thing.
Boyle, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has responsibility for US trade deals, told Irish broadcaster RTE: ‘There are a lot of members of Congress, and they were on the call. yesterday, sharing my deep concern and real shock at the rampant disregard for international law displayed by some in London.
President Joe Biden has already warned Boris Johnson about Northern Ireland (Image: GETTY)
Simon Coveney, Irish Foreign Minister (Image: GETTY)
“Certainly the continuing provocations around the Northern Ireland Protocol obviously make it very difficult to initiate a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.”
The fate of Northern Ireland, closely watched by the Biden administration, has been the most controversial Brexit topic.
While campaigning ahead of last year’s presidential elections, Biden warned Britain that it must honor Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace deal as it withdrew from the EU, stressing that it could not have otherwise. a separate trade agreement with the United States.
On Wednesday, Richard Neal, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, told BBC Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the recent move had “upset” many in Congress due to its one-sided nature, which he said threatened the goodwill established by the 1998 agreement.
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Maros Sefcovic joined Mr Coveney in the USA (Image: GETTY)
The UK government announced last week that it was unilaterally extending a series of grace periods, limiting the protocol’s bureaucracy, to allow companies in Northern Ireland more time to adjust to the new rules.
The European Union is set to take legal action against the UK this week.
Coveney said he and Sefcovic told the group about the tensions surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, as well as the “divisions and polarization” of politics in Northern Ireland.
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Congressman Brendan Boyle (Image: GETTY)
Congressman Richard Neal (Image: PA)
He added that it has caused tension in the relationship between the EU and the British government.
Mr Coveney told RTE Morning Ireland on Thursday: “We talked for an hour and a half about the protocol, its implementation, the tensions around it, the mistakes both parties have made.
‘The need to try to re-engage a debate, because without finding a way to move forward through dialogue, which of course has to be everyone’s preference, then Maros Sefcovic pointed out that the EU side really has no choice but take legal action ». that will begin this week «.
Post-Brexit customs arrangements (Image: Express)
Coveney said politics is “very tense” in Northern Ireland due to perceptions about the protocol and its implementation.
“My job is to ensure that what has been agreed, as a mechanism to deal with the disruption caused by Brexit on the island of Ireland, which is the protocol, is part of an international treaty, as part of international law,” Coveney said. additional.
“Last December, Maros Sefcovic and Michael Gove, who is a senior person in the British government, agreed on an implementation plan and an approach to implement the protocol, and we simply say that we must make sure that happens now.
United States President Joe Biden (Image: GETTY)
“Of course, the EU has been considering and will consider further whether it is necessary to accommodate flexibilities, if there are genuine problems in terms of implementation, how do we solve them.
‘But that has to be done collectively between the EU and the UK.
“We cannot move forward on the basis of one party simply deciding unilaterally ‘Well, this is what needs to be done and we cannot wait for the other parties to agree with us,’ and that is essentially what it has done. the British Government ‘.
Coveney said the European Commission feels it has no choice but to take legal action before the European Court of Justice.
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