The European Union and the United Kingdom reached a last-minute agreement on an additional grace period without customs controls on chilled meat products transported to Northern Ireland from the rest of the kingdom, BNR reported.
The so-called “sausage war” did not break out after London and Brussels agreed on a three-month extension of the grace period. A six-month grace period from the beginning of the year was agreed upon the signing of the Brexit agreement.
Downing Street at one point announced that it would unilaterally extend the grace period for the transit of goods across the Irish Sea – a move that angered Brussels and the European Union threatened a trade war. The “Sausage War” is just one element of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has worsened relations in recent months and provoked protests in the province.
The protocol aims to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. This provides for Northern Ireland to remain in the common market for European Union goods and for customs controls on goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.
–
The problem with sausages comes from the fact that the supply of chilled meat products from third countries, such as the United Kingdom, to the common European market, of which Northern Ireland is in fact prohibited, is prohibited.
The British Brexit minister, Lord Frost, said the agreement was “a positive first step, but a lasting solution is needed”. The European Union has also pledged to make it easier for medicines and guide dogs to cross the Irish Sea, and for Northern Irish drivers to continue traveling to Ireland with their current insurance documents.
–
