Brussels secrecy welcomes the resignation of the ‘Prime Minister’, with whom she has maintained a relationship marked by disagreements
The European institutions secretly reacted to the announcement of Boris Johnson’s resignation as head of government and leader of the British Conservative Party. No statements, no statements, no posts on social networks. Absolute silence. And tellingly, it’s logical to think that the European Union is breathing a sigh of relief at the departure of an uneasy old partner, architect of Brexit, who leaves behind many loose frills. Among them, the application of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The European Commission will not toast champagne in public for fear of the ‘Prime Minister’. At least, that’s what his spokesman Johannes Bahrke assured yesterday at the request of a journalist. “We have no comment on what happened in the UK,” he said bluntly. His counterpart in charge of the bloc’s relations with the United Kingdom, Daniel Ferrie, was a little more precise and sophisticated that Johnson’s resignation “doesn’t change anything” in the Brexit negotiations. “Our position is to look for solutions,” he stated. Political events do not change our position on the protocol, on our work with the British authorities, with Northern Ireland.”
The Twenty-seven’s relations with the British government are in one of their lowest hours since London attempted unilaterally to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is being interpreted by Brussels as a violation of international law. In the election campaign that led him to Downing Street in 2019, Johnson pledged to deliver Brexit. And he did, but not quite. For months, negotiations with the EU have stalled, with the Ireland Protocol as the main stumbling block to sealing the deal. The law his cabinet presented in June to amend it was the latest in a long list of disagreements.
Yesterday, the European executive confirmed that the three infringement proceedings against the United Kingdom are still open, pending the British authorities to come back in two months and comply with the agreement with the EU. If not, it will refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union. Not knowing who will be the next prime minister, the Commission remains tensely calm in the hope that the new “prime minister” is more willing than his predecessor to come to a firm compromise.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
