Boris Johnson and the hand grenade

METERAre the British simply doing their legislative duties, or has Prime Minister Boris Johnson thrown a “hand grenade” on the negotiating table, as one British commentator put it? A government bill, reported by the “Financial Times” in its Monday edition, caused considerable irritation at the start of the eighth round of negotiations between the Kingdom and the European Union, which should conclude before the weekend. . Many interpreted the draft “Internal Market Law” as an attempt to undermine parts of the Brexit deal ratified in January.

Whether these concerns are justified or to what extent can only be determined once the wording is known. The newspaper had only cited anonymous people “who are familiar with the plans” and attributed the ongoing work to the same thing: that it “clearly and deliberately” undermines the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement. One of those named spoke of a “violation of international law”, suggesting that the sources are not necessarily supporters of the Prime Minister. There is no doubt about the existence of the bill. The government confirmed the plan on Monday, but denied having ignored the Brexit treaty. “We are fully committed to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol, and we have already taken many practical steps in this regard,” said a government spokesman.

From a British point of view, this has not been clarified beyond doubt.

Environment Minister George Eustice spoke of the “loose ends” that the ratified agreement had left behind and that the European Union had been working for months to eliminate. However, the government is responsible for ensuring the safety of British business planning and therefore must also take precautions in the event that negotiations on future business relationships are unsuccessful. In Downing Street there was talk of a “waiting plan”, a kind of waiting plan that contained only “small clarifications in extremely specific areas”. It was assumed that the bill should primarily clarify customs-related details of the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Brexit deal agreed that trade between Britain’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland should continue unimpeded. If no free trade agreement with the EU is reached by the end of the transition phase by the end of the year, controls should be introduced between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. According to newspaper reports, the law also touches on the controversial issue of state aid. From a British point of view, its form has not been clarified beyond all doubt.

The European Union reacted with alarm at the highest level. Even before the details of the bill were known, Commission Chair Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter: “I am confident that the British government will implement the Withdrawal Agreement, an obligation under international law and a requirement prior to any future relationship. ” The Northern Ireland Protocol Party to the treaty is “indispensable to guarantee peace and stability on the island, as well as the integrity of the internal market,” added von der Leyen. Before her, the EU negotiator Michel Barnier had already said: “Everything that has been signed must be respected,” she told a French radio station. It requires “the implementation of the political commitments to which Johnson has committed.” Irish Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney commented on the news of the bill saying London is following a “very reckless path”.