Subscribe to our weekly Beyond Brexit newsletter, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.
According to two people familiar with the matter, the European Union will postpone legal action against the United Kingdom for breach of the Northern Ireland Brexit agreement.
The EU has started last month after Britain unilaterally extended the waiver of checks on some goods entering Britain from Northern Ireland. The temporary release was part of the trade agreement aimed at keeping the Irish border free of checkpoints after the UK left the bloc.
According to the people, the EU waited for April 15 to move forward, but it continues while working on a joint plan with the UK to defuse the issues. The European Commission declined to comment.
Why Brexit continues to fuel Irish border tensions: QuickTake
These considerations come as tensions flare in Northern Ireland, with pro-British loyalists protesting against the Brexit agreement, which they say could cut off the EU’s mandate from the mainland. The worst riots in years have injured more than 70 police officers, and a hardlyn approach by the EU can further exacerbate the situation.
The commission asked the UK to be credible road map for the implementation of the agreement, but the two people said the proposals are not satisfactory. Nevertheless, the EU has decided to work with the UK on a joint plan and put interim legal steps on ice, the people added.
According to one of the people, the delay needs time to resolve the issues because the bloc is determined to deepen divisions with the UK at a particularly sensitive time.
Under the agreement negotiated by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Northern Ireland remained effective in the EU’s customs union and a large part of the internal market. It avoided the need for border controls on the island of Ireland, but introduced it for the first time to goods coming from Britain to the province, leading to delays and disruption.
The UK temporarily released some goods from the checks, but extended the grace period further last month without notice.