Brexit: the situation in Northern Ireland is hampering relations between Great Britain and the European Union

The Protocol of Northern Ireland established the commercial borders between Europe and Great Britain, after the divorce between the kingdom and the continent. A last minute agreement not to break Brexit, which now Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants unilaterally scrapped and Europe threatens not to recognize Brexit If this is. Boris arrived in Belfast to unilaterally find a solution, which could provoke the relationship between the kingdom and the EU into a trade war.

This controversial mechanism does not satisfy the Protestants of the convulsed province, it prevents the formation of the Belfast Legislative Assembly, where there will be a Catholic prime minister for the first timeand affects that astronomical cost of living in Ulster and the provisioning of the turbulent province.

But those who elected Michelle O’Neil as Catholic Prime Minister they want a soft boundary between south or north and they threatened a referendum within 5 years to unite the island and secede from the kingdom. An act that, along with Scotland, marked the beginning of the disintegration of the United Kingdom.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warned Boris Johnson that he could put the entire Brexit trade deal in jeopardy if he unilaterally scrapped the Northern Ireland protocol.

Prime Minister Johnson wrote in the diary Belfast Telegraph today: “Many things have changed since the protocol was agreed. The EU has told us that it is impossible to make changes to the text of the protocol to actually solve these problems in negotiations, because there is no mandate to do so,” he explained.

Committed to “keeping the door open for real dialogue”, he echoed the words of Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, and referred in a possible “landing zone”.

“Our shared goal should be to create the widest possible cross-community support for a revised protocol by 2024,” he added.

The meeting problem

DUP protesters blocked the formation of a new decentralized administration for this reason. They do not want to form an assembly that Northern Ireland has voted for and voted for where Sinn Fein, the political arm of the former Catholic IRA guerrilla, won. That meeting is what now guarantees peace between Catholics and Protestants, divided by a religious war of 32 years and 3,200 dead, and reached in agreement on Good Friday, whose guarantors are the United States and Ireland.

Boris Johnson said he hoped the EU would change its position. But he warned: “Otherwise, action will be needed.” “The government has a responsibility to ensure that Northern Ireland’s consumers, citizens and businesses are protected in the long run,” he said.

the British government is preparing to publish legislation to repeal the protocol. But there are still concerns in the cabinet about the legal position. The bill can be challenged in parliament or in court if it is found to violate international law.

In Belfast today, Prime Minister Johnson will reject warnings from the EU and US not to threaten protocol changes, saying “action must be taken” if Brussels does not provide more grounds.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it was “time for calm, It’s time for dialogue. It is time for compromise and cooperation between the EU and the UK to resolve these remaining issues. “

“That alternative is a unilateral action that means tension, resentment, confrontation, legal challenge and, of course, questioning the operation of the TCA. [acuerdo de comercio y cooperación] in itself, because the TCA and the withdrawal agreement are interrelated, they depend on each other ”clarified the Irish foreign minister.

concerns of the US

Washington warned Johnson against “theater” on the subject. The prime minister hopes to end the war of words in Brussels, stressing that “We will always open the door” for future conversations. Tomorrow is likely to pursue plans to draft legislation, which will eliminate part of the post-Brexit deal with the EU.

Johnson pointed to protocol issues in the arrangement of medical supplies and questions about whether VAT deductions could be applied to alleviate the cost of living in Northern Ireland, saying he “has a responsibility to ensure that consumers, citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland are protected. “

An announcement in parliament could be cooked up, even if no formal decision has yet been made, after Johnson agreed with Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, that the negotiations had failed and Britain it must act unilaterally.

Johnson said the protocol has been drafted before signing a trade deal between the UK and the EU and “restricted” the government’s capabilities to help Northern Ireland deal with crises.

“I hope the EU’s position changes. If not, action will have to be taken. ”He said he would set“ next steps for parliament in the next few days, ”Johnson said.

Johnson, however, tries to slow down relationships in a more peaceful tone, writing: “We will always keep the door open for real conversation. And we will continue to protect the single market. . . Surely there is a sensible landing place where everyone’s interests are protected. “

Government sources said Tuesday’s announcement “will not be a moment of water” ending talks with the EU. The full bill will not be released next week. Emphasizes that these resources are designed such as an “insurance policy” which the government has not yet decided to use and will take a year before it becomes law.

Johnson hopes to use the time to encourage the EU to reopen the drafting of the protocol, which they have so far refused to do.

Boris Johnson warns that the Northern Ireland Protocol is preventing Westminster from contributing to the cost of living crisis as it prepares to pass legislation that eliminating key components of the agreement.

He said the deal was designed before the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine “created a cost-of-living crisis on a scale not seen in half a century.”

On Tuesday, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, will end weeks of speculation by saying the UK intends to introduce legislation to unilaterally suspend parts of the protocol. Despite warnings that the move could fall through talks in Brussels and trigger a trade war with the EU.

The proposed law would seek changes in about half a dozen areas, including reducing checks on goods entering only Northern Ireland and stopping oversight from the European Court of Justice.

There was a preemptive warning on Sunday from Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister, who said the proposed law the peace process in Northern Ireland would be disrupted.

The protocol dictates the terms of trade in Northern Ireland after Brexit. It agrees to keep the land border on the island of Ireland open, with customs controls in the Irish Sea.

Johnson will speak to leaders of five political parties during his visit to Belfast, amid a power-sharing standoff at the Stormont Legislative Assembly after the Northern Ireland election earlier this month.

Taking a stricter stance on the Protocol could help convince the Democratic Unionist Party that agreed to share power with Sinn Fein, who won the election and supported a united Ireland.

But Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein’s vice president and prime minister of the new assembly, said she would make her opposition to the prime minister clear, adding: “I would tell Boris Johnson that unilateral action deepens to political and economic instability. uncertainty and it should not happen. “

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