The EU puts an ultimatum in London in dispute over Brexit change plans – politics –

Meanwhile, the British Conservatives were under increasing pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, his deputy Michael Gove showed toughness after a crisis discussion with the vice president of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in London and rejected the ultimatum. His government “will not and will not be able” to withdraw the planned domestic market law, Gove said Thursday afternoon.

Surprisingly, the British government announced this week that it would unilaterally change the Brexit treaty that was approved in January. These are the suspension of customs regulations on merchandise trade for the province of Northern Ireland and the state aid requirements for British companies.

The EU sees this as a clear violation of the Brexit deal. Therefore, the vice-president of the Commission, Sefcovic, traveled to London on Thursday to request clarification. The EU did not accept Britain’s argument that the aim of the switch plans was to protect the Good Friday Agreement to end the Northern Ireland conflict, the Commission said after the meeting between Sefcovic and Gove. “Rather, she thinks she’s doing the opposite.”

Diplomatic circles in the EU reported that Gove had merely “thrown phrases” at the meeting. In EU circles, suspicions were raised that Johnson was threatening to violate the divorce treaty to enforce better terms in trade deals with the EU. “If you try, it will fail,” he said.

In fact, the eighth round of negotiations on the trade pact ended on Thursday without any rapprochement. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier reported “significant differences” on issues of vital importance to the EU. The EU has proven to be flexible on the UK’s red lines, but the opposite has not happened. “To enter into a future partnership, mutual trust is necessary and will be in the future,” Barnier said, clearly referring to London’s announced breach of the Brexit deal.

The Brexit expert from the German Union faction called on Thursday for the end of negotiations between the EU and Britain, should the London government walk away from the exit agreement. “There is no point in negotiating with a contractual partner on the conclusion of a new contract if it does not adhere to the contracts concluded,” said Detlef Seif (CDU).

European Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) accused the British government of violating international laws. “The basis of our understanding of democracy is the rules that we have agreed to. This includes in particular the basic principle that contracts must be fulfilled: ‘pacta sunt servanda’, “Edtstadler emphasized in a statement to the APA.

The issue of Northern Ireland was one of the most difficult in the negotiation of the EU-UK exit agreement. The aim of both parties was to avoid border controls with Ireland, a member of the EU, to prevent the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland from breaking out again.

At Johnson’s Conservatives, high-ranking officials warned against noncompliance with international treaties. “How can we deal with Russia, China or Iran if their behavior is below internationally accepted standards,” asked former party leader Michael Howard in the House of Lords. “What if we pay so little attention to our contractual obligations?” Former Prime Minister John Major accused his Conservative party colleague Johnson of wasting generations of trust. “Our signing on contracts or agreements was sacred,” he said.

On the EU side, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described a violation of the exit agreement as “unacceptable”. Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin, who spoke to Johnson by phone Wednesday night, said such an approach would be “grossly irresponsible” in view of the already dire economic consequences of the crown crisis.

The United States also sent a clear warning to London: The Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said that a potential trade deal with the United States would never go through the US Congress if London undermines the Good Friday Agreement.

In the morning it emerged that the EU was examining legal measures. According to a legal opinion of the member states, the EU could bring an action before the Court of Justice of the European Union, which could impose fines on Great Britain. Alternatively, the dispute resolution committee specified in the withdrawal agreement could be appealed, which could also decide on fines.