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The European Commission will seek further assurance from Northern Ireland authorities on the safety of EU customs and veterinary staff working in ports there, following reports of intimidation and graffiti near ports.
European Union staff, who have been supporting local officials in the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, have not yet been informed when they can return to duty.
Meanwhile, EU sources have described a letter from UK Cabinet Minister Michael Gove as an apparent ultimatum to the EU to accept radical changes to the protocol.
Northern Ireland officials have not carried out customs or food security checks at the ports of Belfast and Larne since Tuesday due to alleged intimidation.
These events have contributed to a broader escalation of tensions over the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
After a virtual meeting between Mr. Gove, his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic, and the North’s First and Deputy Prime Minister last night, all parties agreed that personnel implementing the protocol should not be subjected to threats.
However, EU sources believe that the reaction to the Commission’s attempt last Friday, quickly reversed, to activate Article 16 of the protocol due to new restrictions on the export of Covid-19 vaccines, is now being used as a pretext to mount a more aggressive attack on the protocol.
This has coincided with the DUP’s five-point plan to ditch the protocol entirely.
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In his letter to Mr. Sefcovic on Tuesday night, Mr. Gove demanded radical and swift changes to the protocol, making an implicit link between the alleged intimidation in ports and what he described as broader public antagonisms towards the Protocol.
EU officials say the UK has yet to activate and use some of the flexibilities within the protocol that the two sides agreed to in December.
In an interview with RTÉ News last night, Sefcovic said it would be better if the UK started implementing the flexibilities that were agreed to just six weeks ago, rather than starting a tough renegotiation of the protocol.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Arlene Foster said the protocol put “political and economic ties” with the UK at risk and called for its replacement.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged to protect the UK domestic market and “must now back up those words with tangible actions that protect the integrity of the entire UK.”
The DUP leader wrote: “The Northern Ireland Protocol has not worked, it cannot work and, in light of our proposals to the government, it must be replaced.
“Indeed, in Northern Ireland there is growing anger over the current arrangements. The protocol has damaged and upset the delicate political balance and relations in Northern Ireland.”
However, Sinn Féin Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said Sefcovic was interested in finding a solution and did not intend to cause trouble when Article 16 was activated.
She said: “He was very kind in his apology for that and acknowledged that it caused some tension
“I accept that apology in the way it was intended.
“There are flexibilities built into (the protocol) that he believes they haven’t had a chance to work out yet.”
Ms O’Neill appreciated his commitment to travel to the UK to find ways to solve the problems that have arisen, adding that she believes it is a “very pragmatic and very constructive way” to move forward.
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