The European Commission asked the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, on Tuesday to respect “fully” the agreements concluded with the EU after Brexit, in particular the customs provisions in Northern Ireland.
“In these difficult times for our continent, we have a strong relationship with the United Kingdom to defend our common values, in full respect of our agreements,” insisted the President of the Brussels Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, in a congratulatory tweet. . addressed to Rishi Sunak.
“I remain committed to working hard and constructively to foster such a partnership, while fully respecting our agreements. This includes our work on common solutions under the Protocol for Ireland and Northern Ireland,” said the European Commissioner for Post-Brexit Relations. . with the United Kingdom, Maros Sefcovic.
Seven infringement procedures
Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to the key text of the Brexit deal, the Northern Ireland Protocol, signed and ratified by both parties, and unilaterally questioned Northern Ireland’s customs status after Brexit.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was negotiated between London and Brussels as part of their divorce treaty to address the sensitive issue of the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the European Union. . It was designed to fulfill a double objective: to protect the integrity of the single European market and to avoid a land border that could undermine the peace concluded in 1998 on the island.
Boris Johnson had thus accepted that Northern Ireland would remain de facto within the European market, establishing a customs border in the Irish Sea, with customs controls and procedures. Liz Truss, who succeeded him, is the architect of the law designed to annul the agreement signed by London with Brussels on Northern Ireland. The European Commission has already initiated seven infringement procedures against the United Kingdom, which could lead to a referral to the European justice system, for non-compliance with the provisions of this text.
Source: BFM TV
