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The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has called on the European Union to “get rid of any remaining ill will” towards the UK for leaving the EU, as the agreements governing trade with Northern Ireland continue being controversial.
The European Commission has said it will initiate legal proceedings after London announced it will extend a series of “grace periods” designed to facilitate trade between Northern Ireland, which remains in the EU’s single market for goods, and Britain while permanent agreements are decided. .
Frost said on Wednesday that Britain’s move should allow time for constructive discussions with his counterparts in Brussels.
But the intervention sparked a furious response in Brussels, with the EU accusing the UK of backtracking on its treaty obligations in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement aimed at ensuring there is no return from a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he says the measure is legal and designed to protect the everyday lives of people in Northern Ireland.
He said: “With Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, our agenda is that of a country that looks outward, confident that we can work with others to achieve common goals.
“That is our hope for our ties to our European friends and allies as well. I hope they will rid themselves of any ill will left towards us by leaving and instead build a friendly relationship, between equal sovereigns.”
The Northern Ireland protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement was designed by the EU and the UK to prevent a hardening of the border on the island of Ireland.
It means keeping Northern Ireland aligned with various EU rules, requiring controls on goods arriving from Britain.
DUP leader Arlene Foster criticized Brussels for taking what she said was a “very belligerent approach” to the difficulties caused by the Protocol since Brexit.
Ms Foster also said that “something had to give” and the UK had to take action and extend a grace period.
Meanwhile, the White House has once again emphasized the support of the new US President, Joe Biden, for the Good Friday Agreement, which the Protocol is intended to protect.
Before last year’s election, Biden warned that the Accord must not become a victim of Brexit.
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