British Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
The UK and EU have agreed to work “intensively” to settle their differences across the Northern Ireland border as they try to ward off a controversy that has threatened the most controversial element of the Brexit settlement to flare up.
British Cabinet Minister Michael Gove and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic met with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Ireland on Wednesday, a discussion which, according to a joint statement, was ‘productive’.
The meeting took place after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to suspend parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol due to the disruption it caused to trade across the Irish Sea. In a letter to Sefcovic, Gove called for an extension of the grace periods, making it possible to secure goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Tensions have risen sharply in the past week after the European Commission said control of vaccine exports to Northern Ireland – blinds British and Irish governments and angry union political leaders. Although the EU reversed its course within hours, the trust between the two parties was damaged.
At a meeting of EU diplomats earlier in the day in Brussels, Ireland’s ambassador told the Commission that his decision undermined confidence in the protocol, as well as the peace process it was designed to protect, according to a note from the meeting. seen by Bloomberg News.
Staff in Northern Ireland conducting post-Brexit checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea have also faced intimidation and threats in recent weeks, condemned by Gove and Sefcovic.
“Both have unreservedly condemned any threats or intimidation, pointing out that the safety and well-being of the people of Northern Ireland and those of our staff will always be a top priority,” they said.
The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, went on to demand that the so-called protocol be deleted.
“Holding on to plaster solutions and lawns kicking the gaze along the road will not solve these problems,” she said. “The Northern Ireland protocol does not work, can not work.”
– With help by Ian Wishart
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