The European Commission opened four new cases against Britain in the Northern Ireland dispute on Friday. The EU authority accuses London of failing to comply with essential parts of the protocol on the post-Brexit trade agreements for Northern Ireland. The move follows the approval of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill by the House of Commons in the British Parliament on Wednesday.
With the proposed law, the Brexit agreements about the British province can be unilaterally set aside by London. The EU had previously expressed concern about the project and threatened repercussions. Infringement procedures can lead to a complaint to the European Court of Justice and a fine.
resistance is expected
However, before the law can enter into force, it still has to pass the lower house of parliament, the House of Lords. This should be done after the summer holidays. The draft is likely to meet with more resistance in the Senate. However, if the government is behind the plans, there should be major commotions with Brussels. In the worst case, a trade war threatens.
The London government wants to use the bill to force Brussels to reopen the special status agreement for Northern Ireland that was only signed in 2019 as part of the Brexit treaty. The European Commission strictly rules out this and instead wants to negotiate solutions within the framework of the existing agreement.
The Northern Ireland Protocol stipulates that the province will remain part of the EU’s internal market and the European Customs Union. This was intended to prevent goods controls at the border with EU member Ireland in order to prevent the conflict between proponents and opponents of a unification of the two parts of Ireland from flaring up again. But controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK are now necessary. The government in London then wants to remove this consequence, but without proposing an alternative solution.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
