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The European Commission has ruled out major changes to Northern Ireland’s protocol to the Brexit deal, saying it would not even consider any flexibility unless the UK first meets its obligations under the pact in full.
Hours before a major meeting in London on Thursday to resolve problems in the region, the commission’s vice president, Maroš Šefčovič, said in a letter to Michael Gove that the protocol was “the only way” to protect the Good Friday deal.
He said it was “the UK and EU agreed solution to the significant challenges” posed for the island of Ireland by Brexit, “designed to ensure clarity and predictability for individuals and businesses and minimize disruption.”
The deal represented “a balanced outcome” and was “a mutually agreed legal obligation,” Šefčovič said, but cautioned that it required “full and faithful implementation” and listed several areas where it said the UK was not complying.
Boris Johnson accused the EU last week of appearing to “cast doubt on” the Good Friday deal following the bloc’s brief decision to invoke Article 16 of the protocol as part of an attempt to block the entry of Covid vaccines into the UK.
The UK has called for a two-year transition period on core elements of the protocol, including controls on food supplies from Great Britain supermarkets to Northern Ireland, and has called for a “permanent fix” for chilled meats. of GB.
In a vigorously worded letter this month, Gove also sought an extension of temporary arrangements and a “light touch solution” for shipping parcels, so that consumers could continue to shop online in British stores, as well as an area of common pet trip.
The Cabinet Office minister insisted that the UK wanted an “urgent resolution” of the problems, and that lengthy technical discussions would not be acceptable. “What is required are political solutions, not technical,” he said.
But Šefčovič said in his reply that the UK’s full and urgent implementation of the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol was “a prerequisite for assessing whether any further facilitation, as requested”, was necessary or justified, noting that which he called “a series of current deficiencies.”
He said border checkpoints at Northern Ireland ports “were not yet fully operational”, while official controls “are currently not performed in accordance with the withdrawal agreement protocol and EU rules.”
There were “very few identity checks” on the goods and “a very limited number of physical checks other than live animals, fish and plants,” he said, while all “non-conforming shipments” were accepted, even if they were destined for Ireland
Packages were not being monitored as required by the Dec. 17 agreement, he said, goods were entering Northern Ireland “without being declared or without valid certificates”, and the UK had “not yet fulfilled its obligation” to allow EU inspectors real-time access to key IT systems of UK customs.
Šefčovič said he was “convinced that these are all initial problems, for which we should be able to find quick solutions”, but insisted that “general derogations” from the EU rules on meat products and packages “can no longer be agreed beyond what the protocol already provides “.
A common travel zone for pets and shipments of potato seeds and other plant products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland would mean that “the UK commits to abide by the relevant EU rules”.
A UK government spokesperson said it was “disappointing” that the commission “had not recognized the shock and anger felt throughout the Northern Ireland community over its decision to activate Article 16, and the need to take urgent measures to restore confidence as a result. “
“Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster [Gove] He will underline the need for such action and political leadership in this regard when he meets with Vice President Šefčovič in London tomorrow, ”the spokesperson added.
