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Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been accused by Brussels of showing a “total misunderstanding” of the Brexit deal after claiming the EU was trying to erect a barrier between Northern Ireland and Britain.
Maroš Šefčovič, vice president of the European Commission, said Raab’s comments raised important questions and warned that Britain was tarnishing its global reputation by ignoring the terms of its agreements with Brussels.
The EU on Monday launched legal proceedings against the UK for alleged breaches of Northern Ireland’s protocol in the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which is designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Brussels accused the UK of attempting to violate international law a second time by voiding the terms of the treaty to unilaterally extend a grace period on paperwork for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
Šefčovič, who serves as Lord Frost’s British counterpart in the EU on Brexit-related committees, said the damage done to the UK’s image by his conduct had been apparent during his discussions last week with a bipartisan group of congressmen Americans known as Friends of Ireland.
He pointed to claims this week made by Raab, a former Brexit secretary, in which he had accused the EU of damaging the Good Friday deal by trying to “erect a barrier in the Irish Sea”, as yet another reason to decrease. faith internationally in the British Government.
“This is what I feel when I speak with my international partners; That was what I felt when I spoke to the Friends of Ireland at the [Capitol] Hill in the United States, ”he said. “The statements, as I saw them yesterday from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Raab, who, if I remember correctly, was also for a couple of months in charge of the Brexit negotiations, that it is the EU that wants to build the border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and that is unacceptable … That raises a lot of questions because, if I say it very diplomatically, it is a total misunderstanding of the agreement that we have signed. “
In effect, the withdrawal agreement left Northern Ireland in the EU single market and established a customs border in the Irish Sea to avoid any control of goods entering and leaving the Republic of Ireland. It’s a similar deal to the one Theresa May rejected when she was prime minister on the grounds that it created borders within the UK.
Šefčovič said Boris Johnson’s government knew what was being signed and had been “surprised” by repeated attempts to avoid the consequences of border controls on products, including food safety and animal and plant health, known as sanitary and phytosanitary. rules.
“If you look at the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, that’s very clear what we agreed to: that we would have the border checkpoints built and they are supposed to be built by the end of last year,” he said.
“These checks and controls will be carried out by the UK authorities, which means that EU law will be fully applicable. That is the essence of the deal.
“Our mutual responsibility is to make it as smooth as possible. That is why we in the past offered a customs union, a common SPS [sanitary and phytosanitary] area. All of these were rejected. So now we face the consequences. “
This week, the commission launched a process that could result in the UK being brought before the European Court of Justice and potentially facing trade sanctions.
Šefčovič warned Frost that the UK was “on the path of a deliberate breach of its international law obligations and duty of good faith”, demanding that the government reverse its unilateral decision to extend a grace period on key controls that It will end on April 1. until “at least October”.
The commission has asked the UK to return to the negotiating table to find a way forward before the end of the month. Šefčovič, a former Slovak government diplomat, said he met Frost, who has been accused of taking a confrontational approach to Brussels, “many years ago” and their last conversation was “very courteous, very courteous.”
“I think we both realize that we have the job to do and for my part what I want is to have the best possible relationship with the UK,” he said. “But of course I have to vehemently insist on respecting the agreements we have signed.”
Šefčovič added: “It is very difficult to operate in an environment where the government that signed and ratified this international law is actively advising the business community not to follow the rules and not respect the law. And, of course, we hope this is corrected. “
The UK government has said its extension of grace periods is a pragmatic and legal effort to allow traders more time to adjust to the changes brought by Brexit. A spokesman said that “low-profile operational measures like these have many precedents and are common in the early days of major international treaties.”
A UK source said: “The EU needs to take a more pragmatic approach and keep in mind that the protocol depends on the consent and trust of the community to make it work. It must protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions.
“We agree on the importance of coming to the table and, as we said on Monday, we are committed to discussing the issues within the joint committee in a constructive manner.
“We have stayed in contact with the EU throughout the process and have provided details on our actions that were taken to minimize disruptions on the ground in Northern Ireland.”
