LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s government plans to introduce legislation amending the Northern Ireland protocol in the deal on Britain’s exit from the European Union in the coming weeks, the British government said on Tuesday. Foreign Office Secretary Liz Truss.
This protocol provides for the establishment of customs controls on certain goods transiting from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Its objective was, following Brexit, to avoid the re-establishment of a physical border with Ireland, which remained in the EU, but this device led to disruptions in the supply of Northern Ireland and woke up political tensions threatening the 1998 peace accord, with pro-British unionists denouncing the establishment of a de facto difference between the province and the rest of the UK.
“I am announcing our intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make changes to the protocol,” Liz Truss told the House of Commons.
Britain’s foreign secretary added that London still favored a negotiated solution with Brussels and would continue its dialogue with EU negotiator Marcos Sefcovic, whom she said she had invited to London for further talks as quickly as possible.
Liz Truss assured that this bill is not intended to abolish the Northern Irish protocol and that the United Kingdom will continue to honor its international commitments.
This reform would create a dual regulatory regime designed, she said, to ensure that goods sent to Northern Ireland and intended to remain there are not subject to unnecessary administrative burdens.
“The bill will remove regulatory barriers for goods made to British standards sold in Northern Ireland. Businesses will have the choice of meeting British or EU standards under a new dual regulatory regime,” said Liz. Truss.
“He will continue to ensure that there is no physical border on the island of Ireland.”
(Report Kylie MacLellan, written by Muvija M, French version Bertrand Boucey, edited by Kate Entringer)
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