The European Union executive has unsuccessfully asked the British government to delete passages violating a legally binding agreement from the draft controversial Internal Market Act by the end of September. However, the British House of Commons approved the proposal in its original form on Tuesday, which, according to von der Leyen, fundamentally undermined mutual trust.
The proposal proposed by the Government of Boris Johnson in Westminster aims to ensure free trade between all parts of the United Kingdom. In doing so, it violates the so-called Protocol on Northern Ireland, which is one of the basic pillars of the Brexit Agreement, which was approved by both the Union and Britain last year.
According to him, this part of the kingdom will be part of the EU free market, which is to prevent the creation of a hard border between British Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which remained part of the EU. In order for it to enter into force, the law has yet to be approved by the House of Lords.
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According to the head of the EC, Brussels is still open to dialogue
“The deadline expired yesterday (Wednesday) and the problematic passages were not removed. That is why today the Commission decided to send a letter to the British government, which formally initiates infringement proceedings, “von der Leyen said on Thursday. According to her, Brussels is still open to dialogue.
The United Kingdom has until the end of this month to submit its comments to the call. After examining these comments, or in the absence of comments, the Commission may, where appropriate, decide to issue a reasoned opinion. He would then be referred to the Court of Justice of the EU, which could ultimately rule on a financial penalty for Britain for non-compliance with EU law. However, the whole process may take years and Britain will have plenty of room to change course, Reuters reports.
Britain has not been a member since the end of January, but during the transitional period until the end of the year, it is subject to membership obligations, the fulfillment of which is controlled by the EC.
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According to the British government, the Internal Market Act is a safeguard in case the agreement is not negotiated by the end of the year. In response to the current announcement, the cabinet said it had previously “clearly explained the reasons” that led it to adopt the controversial legal norm. “We need to create legal certainty so that we always fulfill our obligations to Northern Ireland and protect the achievements of the peace process,” a government spokesman said.
According to some EU politicians, the law will significantly complicate the already complicated negotiations on future relations, the next round of which continues on Thursday in Brussels. According to Reuters, European and EU negotiators have announced that they have not yet been able to reconcile their views on state aid, which is one of the main points of contention preventing the conclusion of an agreement on future trade relations.
Shortly after the announcement of the Commission’s decision, the British pound fell by 0.6 percent against the dollar and 0.5 percent against the euro.
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