[ad_1]
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has warned that the EU will not ratify a trade deal with the UK if it tries to reintroduce parts of controversial legislation aimed at going beyond international law.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered an overwhelming defeat in the House of Lords late Monday over the Internal Market Act, which would allow ministers to violate international law by breaching parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement reached with the EU last year.
The peers voted 433 to 165 to remove clauses from the bill that would give ministers the right not to unilaterally apply parts of the Northern Ireland protocol and its requirement for some customs controls in the Irish Sea between the North and Greater Brittany to avoid the need for a border on the island.
Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Coveney said: “If the British government is determined to continue with its Internal Market Bill, to reintroduce parts of that bill that were removed by the House of Lords this week, then I think this is an agreement that will not be ratified by the EU because there is no way that the EU will agree to ratify a new agreement if the British government is breaching the existing agreement that is not even 12 months old ”.
Referring to the post-Brexit trade deal negotiations, Coveney said: “I think I would sum it up by saying that this is very difficult, but also very doable.
“And I think the consequences of not getting a trade deal and a future relationship … before the end of the year, I think are very important.
He said it was necessary to reduce the language between the EU and the UK in the Brexit talks.
He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The EU has said it will have to take legal action against the UK if they continue to violate international law.”
He added that “the truth is that the two parties are very far apart in terms of the expectations on the British side and the negotiating mandate that Michel Barnier has on the part of the EU.
Talks between Britain and the European Union broke down after a week of intense negotiations in London this week that were overshadowed by the turmoil in Downing Street, in which top advisers to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned and there was speculation about the position of chief negotiator David. Frost.
At one point, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, took a break from negotiations and posted a picture of himself “seeking a level playing field” in a London park.
Now pressure is mounting for a breakthrough as EU national leaders prepare to meet for a video conference on Thursday, with disagreements over fish and how to ensure fair competition between UK and EU companies lingering as an obstacle.
The EU wants a deal in mid-November to be ratified before transition agreements expire at the end of the year and the UK leaves the customs union and single market.
Without an agreement, trade between the UK and the EU will be subject to tariffs set by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
[ad_2]