Sunday October 24th 2021
Christmas as an argument
Talks about Brexit rules continue
The dispute over the Brexit rules for Northern Ireland has retracted. The British announce renewed talks with the EU Commission in the coming week. You will probably again criticize the role of the European Court of Justice as the highest arbitration body – but you also have a new argument ready.
London and Brussels want to hold further talks in the coming week in the heated dispute over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. The British government announced that a team from the EU Commission would be received in London on Tuesday. Towards the end of the week, EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and British Brexit Minister David Frost are due to meet in London and assess the current state of affairs. The dispute is about how the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed in the Brexit agreement is to be implemented.
The Northern Ireland Protocol provides that the British province will remain part of the EU customs union and the internal market even after Brexit. The regulation avoids a hard border with the EU member Republic of Ireland, which would presumably lead to new tensions in the former civil war area. However, this has created a customs border with the rest of the UK and there are restrictions on intra-UK trade.
Typical Christmas products cannot be delivered
In particular, the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as the highest arbitration body for problems relating to Northern Ireland remains controversial between London and Brussels. “Our position remains unchanged: The competence of the ECJ to settle conflicts between Great Britain and the EU must end,” said British government circles. Solutions would have to be found quickly, as the effects of the protocol were evident in everyday life in Northern Ireland: for example, typical Christmas products could not be delivered. Should this not be achieved, Article 16 would have to be applied, thereby partially repealing the agreement.
Brussels recently announced that there would be considerable easing of the flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The tests of quality standards for food and other goods are to be reduced just as significantly as customs formalities. Medicines should also be able to reach the British province without restrictions.