The dispute over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol has been causing a bad atmosphere between London and Brussels for months. The EU Commission is now initiating four proceedings against the United Kingdom because it is said to be violating the customs regulations enshrined in the Brexit agreement.
In the dispute over Brexit rules for the British province of Northern Ireland, the EU Commission has initiated four new proceedings against the government in London. The Brussels authorities accused the United Kingdom of violating essential parts of the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. Infringement procedures can lead to a complaint before the European Court of Justice and result in a fine. In the spirit of constructive cooperation, certain infringement procedures have been waived for more than a year, the EU authority said. "However, the UK's unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion and the advanced process of passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Act by the UK Parliament run directly against that spirit," it said.
Specifically, the allegations are about not complying with applicable customs regulations and not implementing certain EU regulations. Britain now has two months to respond. The dispute between the EU and Great Britain over the implementation of the Brexit rules has been going on for a long time. Most recently, the EU Commission increased the pressure on London in June. At that time, the authority launched two new infringement procedures and resumed another.
The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the 2019 agreement on Britain's withdrawal from the EU. It stipulates that the province, which is part of the United Kingdom, will continue to follow the rules of the EU internal market and the European Customs Union. This was intended to prevent goods controls at the border with EU member Ireland in order to prevent the conflict between supporters and opponents of a unification of the two parts of Ireland flaring up again.
The reason for the new procedure is, among other things, that on Wednesday the British House of Commons adopted a controversial draft law on the Northern Ireland Protocol in the third reading. With the planned law, the Brexit agreements on the British provinces can be unilaterally overridden by London. The EU Commission had previously shown itself to be extremely concerned about the project and threatened consequences.
However, before the law can come into force, it still has to go through the second chamber of Parliament, the House of Lords. That should happen after the summer break. The draft is likely to meet with more resistance in the upper house. Should the government prevail with the plans, there should be serious upheavals with Brussels. In the worst case, a trade war threatens.
The two candidates to succeed outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, have so far shown no signs of seeking a de-escalation in the dispute. The government in London wants to use the bill to force Brussels to reopen the agreement on the special status for Northern Ireland that was only concluded in 2019 as part of the Brexit Treaty. The EU Commission strictly excludes this and instead wants to negotiate solutions within the framework of the existing agreement.
