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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bill to return, in violation of international law, on certain commitments in the Brexit Agreement, passed a first obstacle on Monday, being adopted in the House of Commons.
The project was adopted even though part of the conservative camp opposed it, reports AFP.
An affront to Europeans amid trade negotiations, the bill, which contains controversial provisions on Northern Ireland, was passed with 340 votes in favor and 263 against, after a day of heated debates in the House of Commons on Brexit, which officially went into effect on January 31.
The vote is not a surprise given Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s comfortable majority in the lower house of the British parliament, but the continuation of parliamentary procedures could be more uncertain, especially regarding the consideration of an amendment early next week that imposes a deadlock in parliament before any amendment to the EU exit agreement.
You also need to vote in the House of Lords., where it is feared that the adoption of the bill could affect the credibility of Great Britain on the international stage.
The project is key to “maintaining the political and economic integrity of Great Britain.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has gone to the House of Commons to support his proposal “essential to maintaining the political and economic integrity of Great Britain”.
He accused the EU of using Northern Ireland’s peacekeeping provisions as “lever” in ongoing negotiations and threatening to create “a customs border in our own country.”
Your invoice represents a “safety net” or a “insurance policy” London will not have to resort to it if it reaches an agreement with Brussels.
“No British prime minister, no government, no parliament could accept” Johnson argued, in particular, in response to criticism from five of his predecessors, from John Major to Theresa May.
Special customs provisions for Northern Ireland
The Treaty establishes special customs provisions for Northern Ireland, intended in particular to prevent the reestablishment of a physical border between the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU and the British province, in accordance with the 1998 peace agreement.
Northern Ireland must comply with certain European provisions for four years, in particular with regard to trade in goods. In London’s view, the EU is threatening to refuse to include Great Britain on the list of countries authorized to export food to that territory, which would prevent imports to Northern Ireland from the rest of the country.
Trade negotiations with the EU to resume on Tuesday in Brussels
Despite these strong tensions, negotiations with the EU on a future trade relationship will resume in Brussels on Tuesday. So far, discussions have not yielded significant results on two issues of concern: London’s enforcement of rules to prevent the creation of unfair competition, and conditions of access to British waters for fishermen in EU member states. EU.
The two sides said an agreement must be reached in October to avoid the imposition of customs duties between Britain and the European bloc, which risks exacerbating the historic economic crisis caused by the new coronavirus pandemic.
