After a meeting on Monday, both sides spoke in a joint statement of a “cordial and constructive dialogue”.
In the dispute with the EU over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, the London government is ready to negotiate. “I am in favor of a negotiated solution,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement on Wednesday ahead of a visit to Britain’s northern provinces. However, the top priority is to ensure political stability and peace in Northern Ireland.
Unlike the UK, Northern Ireland is a de facto member of the EU customs union and single market even after Brexit. This regulation is intended to prevent a hard border with Ireland and thus a resurgence of old conflicts. However, a customs border has been created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. There were trade barriers, some UK companies stopped deliveries to Northern Ireland.
Supporters of union with Great Britain, mostly Protestants, fear that the protocol favors the reunification of part of the country with Ireland, as requested in particular by Catholics. The conflict paralyzes the formation of a regional government in Northern Ireland.
Monday the first turning point
Cleverly and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic achieved a first breakthrough in a meeting on Monday: The EU has access to British computer systems and can use them to trace trade in goods between Britain and Northern Ireland . In a joint statement after the meeting, both sides spoke of “cordial and constructive dialogue”.
Cleverly and Sefcoviv plan to meet again on January 16 to clarify further outstanding issues. Insiders told the “Financial Times” that the atmosphere of the talks has recently improved and both sides are working towards an agreement.
(APA/dpa)
