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Boris Johnson and Macron (right) talked face to face. PHOTO: Photo: Bloomberg L.R.
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This casts a shadow over the G7 Leadership Forum in the South West of England
French President Emmanuel Macron today urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to keep the “word given to Europeans” within Brexit amid tensions in Northern Ireland. This was announced by the President’s Office, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
The French head of state said he was “ready” to renew Franco-British relations, but “emphasized that this new commitment required the British to keep their word to the Europeans and to adhere to the framework set by the Brexit agreements”, he said. The Elysee Palace after a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G-7 forum.
The situation around Northern Ireland and the special trade provisions provided for the British province after Brexit have worsened relations between the United Kingdom and the EU.
This casts a shadow over the G7 Leadership Forum, which is taking place in the South West of England, where the leaders of the great powers and the EU are counting on demonstrating a united front, eager to breathe new life into multilateralism to facilitate the pandemic and the fight against global warming.
London accuses Brussels of taking an “overly purist approach” to implementing the new specific customs regulations for Northern Ireland set out in the “Northern Ireland Protocol”, negotiated after difficult Brexit negotiations.
Leaving Northern Ireland de facto in the European customs union and the common market, these measures create tensions in the British countryside, even clashes, for example in early April.
There were discussions in London on Wednesday, but no progress was made – the EU said it would not hesitate to retaliate if London refused to implement the provisions of the protocol.
Following the face-to-face conversation with Macron, Johnson is also expected to speak with EU leaders and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Stressing that the G7 is not a platform where an “immediate solution” must be reached, a spokesman for the British prime minister said yesterday that “all options are on the table” and that the aim is to preserve the unity of the kingdom, which is threatened. according to him from the protocol.
Proud of his Irish roots, US President Joe Biden also reaffirmed his support for a protocol that avoids the return of a hard border to the island and guarantees peace in the British countryside, concluded in 1998 after three decades of bloodshed.
European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel warned London today that “both sides”
they must implement what has been agreed. “There is complete unity in the EU on this issue,” the heads of the European Commission and the European Council wrote on Twitter, according to which the measures agreed for Northern Ireland make it possible to preserve peace in this province.
From the sidelines of the G7 forum, Boris Johnson today called on Europeans to “pragmatism and compromise” on measures affecting Northern Ireland after Brexit, which have caused strong tensions in the British region.
Johnson “clearly expressed his commitment to pragmatism and compromise on the part of all, but stressed that the priority is to preserve the (peace) agreement of Good Friday,” Downing Street said after a series of meetings.
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