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The bill would allow the UK to reduce the scope of EU state aid rules in Northern Ireland.
The DUP, SDLP and the Alliance are among Westminster parties seeking to amend a government bill that aims to overturn part of the Brexit deal.
MEPs will hold the first substantive debate on the internal market bill on Monday.
Downing Street claims it is a safety net, in case talks to work out the details of the NI Protocol fail.
The EU said that if Parliament passes the legislation, it will be difficult for negotiations on the trade deal to continue.
Northern Ireland’s political parties are divided over the bill, which the government has admitted would violate international law.
Some unionist parties welcomed him broadly, saying the EU cannot impose an economic border between NI and the rest of the UK.
Ulster unionists do not support the protocol, but said the government should not threaten to violate international law to “correct a terrible mistake.”
But Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance and the Greens criticized the British government for breaching previous commitments.
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The bill would give UK ministers the power to reduce the amount of paperwork Northern Ireland companies have to fill out on goods bound for Britain, such as export and exit declarations, or eliminate the need to do so. completely.
It would also allow the UK to reduce the scope of EU state aid rules in Northern Ireland.
It is controversial because it would change the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a crucial part of the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement agreed to by both parties prior to the UK’s departure from the EU.
What is the NI Protocol?
The Northern Ireland Protocol is designed to avoid a rigid border in Ireland, or even new controls at the Irish border.
To do this, it effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods.
This will mean that products entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK will be subject to new controls and controls – the so-called Irish Sea border.
However, the EU and the UK must agree on the precise nature of these controls and they are being negotiated in parallel with the trade talks, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to conclude at the next European Council meeting on October 15.
It will also mean that when relevant EU laws are amended or new ones are drafted, they will also apply in Northern Ireland.
This bill has already been the subject of much public debate, but now the parliamentary drama is intensifying.
Downing Street argues that the legislation is a safety net, in case talks to work out the details of the Northern Ireland Protocol fail.
But the SDLP and the Alliance, which oppose what Number 10 is doing, are supporting amendments to try to stop the bill from moving through Parliament.
Boris Johnson, however, has a large majority, so even if some in the Conservative Party vote against the legislation, the support of the DUP, which welcomed the bill but said no, is likely to be secured. it is the end product.
Today is only the first obstacle to the bill, as the government tries to accelerate it into law.
‘Undermine decentralized institutions’
Downing Street wants to speed up the passage of the bill by Parliament, but the SDLP is one of several parties that table an amendment with the aim of blocking its advance.
It calls the legislation a “self-described violation of international law … and an outright violation of the Good Friday Agreement, even undermining the power of delegated institutions.”
Party leader Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said the bill “brings us closer to a hard border in Ireland than we have been at any point in these negotiations.”
The Alliance backs a cross-party lockdown amendment, signed by the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and the SDLP.
‘Not the finished product’
The DUP supports the legislation, but has also tabled amendments that aim to address concerns it still has about parts of the Brexit deal.
The party’s main whip in Westminster, Sammy Wilson, said the bill was a big step forward for business in Northern Ireland, but “not the finished product.”
An amendment seeks to ensure that the UK sets the state aid rules in Northern Ireland after the transition period.
State aid refers to the type and amount of government aid that can be granted to companies.
As companies in NI will continue to be in the EU single market after December 31, they would be covered by EU rules.
Britain-based companies trading in Northern Ireland could also be covered by these rules, something the UK government wants to avoid.
The first debate on the bill will not begin until Monday afternoon, and it will be the Speaker of the Commons who decides whether the amendments are selected.
