The United Kingdom (UK) will press for a "significant change" to the Northern Ireland Protocol and has written legal papers outlining essential amendments that might hasten a rewriting of the treaty that has sparked a dispute between the European Union and the British government over trade flows to the area.
David Frost, the UK's Brexit Minister, wants to provide a formal statement on the modifications the UK seeks from the European Commission during the coming week, which he claims are needed to alleviate tensions and decrease the threat to the landmark 1998 peace settlement that eased sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
“No one should be in any doubt about the seriousness of the situation,” Frost said in the text of a speech to be given in Lisbon on Oct. 12. “That is why we are working to reflect the concerns of everyone in Northern Ireland, from all sides of the political spectrum, to make sure that the peace process is not undermined.”
Frost will tell diplomats in Lisbon that a significant reworking of the accord is a "pre-requisite" for improved relations between the EU and the UK in the future.
As part of his Brexit agreement with the EU, Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to customs checks between the two halves of the UK so that the majority of the country could be free of EU laws without creating a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Johnson, on the other hand, has refused to follow crucial components of the protocol and has unilaterally prolonged the grace period supposed to ease the transition on two times since signing the agreement.
The UK has been lobbying the EU to repeal the protocol, which oversees trade flows between the UK, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland in the post-Brexit era.
The EU has stated that it would not revise the protocol, but that it is open to make changes to alleviate bottlenecks between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
On Thursday, Maros Sefcovic, a leading EU negotiator, indicated that the group was willing to give Johnson's government more latitude in delivering medications into Northern Ireland and in checking food goods.
Customs checks will be made easier, and local institutions will play a larger role in the process, according to Sefcovic. That still falls well short of the demands of the UK.
Johnson has threatened to use Article 16 of the protocol to suspend parts of the accord if it causes "serious economic, societal, or environmental difficulties."
In that case, the EU would have the power to adopt reciprocal measures to protect the single market's integrity, which might impair the two sides' broader commercial relationship.
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