In the three years since the UK’s official withdrawal from the EU, the Northern Ireland Protocol has been an ongoing point of contention, which even led to the collapse of the government in Belfast last year.

What’s in the deal?

Under the current arrangements, all products arriving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain are checked, as the province effectively remains in the EU’s single market for goods, while the rest of the UK does not.

The post Northern Ireland Protocol: What does the new deal mean for the UK? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The EU has issued its toughest warning yet as talks remain stalled with the UK on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Following talks with Britain’s Brexit minister Lord Frost, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic threatened the UK with “serious consequences” should it invoke Article 16.

The tough words followed strong words from Lord Frost as he went into talks.

The Brexit minister warned the threat of invoking the Article remained “on the table” and time is running out if the EU wants to avoid that outcome.

The Northern Ireland Protocol allowed Brexit to happen without a border on the island of Ireland. It provided for customs checks on certain goods crossing the Irish Sea between the island of Ireland and mainland Britain.

Under the terms of the protocol, Article 16 can be invoked by a signatory if it believes it is causing serious economic difficulties. The UK government says it believes that moment came some time ago.

Invoking Article 16 could suspend customs checks across the Irish Sea. That would threaten the European Single Market. It is regarded in Brussels as the nuclear option and could lead to immediate retaliatory consequences.

The EU could suspend the UK-EU trade deal, which could threaten the Brexit agreement itself. The entire post-Brexit settlement could even start to unravel.

Despite that alarming prospect, there was no sign of a breakthrough in these latest talk. Instead, mutual recriminations.

Vice president Sefcovic lamented: “Until today, we have seen no move at all from the UK side. I find this disappointing and once again, I urge the UK government to engage with us sincerely.”

For their part, the British complained after the meeting that “progress had been limited and that the EU’s proposals did not currently deal effectively with the fundamental difficulties in the way the protocol was operating”.

A significant gap remains between the two sides and – although talks will continue – without some skilful creative diplomacy, a further breach in relations seems more than likely, threatening a major rupture in trading relations between the UK and EU.

Mr. Sefcovic returns to London for talks next week. Today he called it an important week. We may well be reaching a make or break point in negotiations.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-eu-issues-toughest-warning-yet-as-talks-with-uk-remain-stalled-on-northern-ireland-protocol-12460866

The post Brexit: EU issues toughest warning yet as talks with UK remain stalled on Northern Ireland protocol first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Dominic Cummings said in a provocative series of tweets that he had always intended to get “the trolley” – his derogatory nickname for the Prime Minister – to “ditch the bits we didn’t like” after beating Labour in the 2019 general election.

His latest intervention came after Brexit minister Lord Frost set out the UK’s demands for fundamental changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol contained in the agreement which Mr. Johnson signed in January 2020.

Dominic Cummings@Dominic2306
Oct 12, 2021
Replying to @Dominic2306

For all those whining, you try solving a once-a-century constit crisis starting on 10% in polls with totally fkd negotiating situation, SW1 hysterical, joke Cabinet, mutinous GLS & a fkd for PM who only understood even vaguely WTF the Customs Union was in 11/20 – not easy!

Dominic Cummings@Dominic2306

No what I’ve said does NOT mean ‘the PM was  lying in GE2019’, he never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant. He never understood what leaving Customs Union meant until 11/20. In 1/20 he was babbling ‘I’d never have signed it if Id understood it’ (but that WAS a lie)

He said that when Mr. Johnson finally realized the true implications of the deal, he claimed he would never have agreed to it – although Mr. Cummings said that was a lie.

During the election campaign, Mr. Johnson repeatedly boasted that the “divorce” settlement he had negotiated with Brussels – including the Northern Ireland Protocol – was a “great” deal that was “oven ready” to be signed.

Mr. Cummings said: “What I’ve said does NOT mean ‘the PM was lying in General Election 2019’, he never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant.

“He never understood what leaving Customs Union meant until November 2020.”

When the Prime Minister did finally comprehend, “he was babbling ‘I’d never have signed it if I’d understood it’ (but that WAS a lie)”.

Dominic Cummings@Dominic2306

We took over a party on ~10%, worst constitutional crisis in century, much of deep state angling for BINO or 2REF. So we wriggled thro with best option we cd & intended to get the to ditch bits we didn’t like after whacking Corbyn. We prioritized.

Mr. Cummings, who was credited with masterminding the successful Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, said that, when Mr. Johnson entered No 10 in 2019, the country was facing the “worst constitutional crisis in a century” with much of what he called the “deep state” angling for “Bino” (Brexit in name only) or a second referendum.

“So we wriggled through with best option we could and intended to get the trolley to ditch bits we didn’t like after whacking (Labour leader Jeremy) Corbyn. We prioritized,” he said.

He dismissed suggestions that abandoning those elements of the Withdrawal Agreement would mean breaking international law.

“Our priorities meant e.g. getting Brexit done is 10,000 times more important than lawyers yapping re international law in negotiations with people who break international law all the time,” he said.

“EU membership infantilized SW1 (Westminster) as yapping re ‘international law’ clearly shows.”

Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-did-not-understand-brexit-deal-dominic-cummings-b960229.html

The post Boris Johnson did not understand his own Brexit deal, says Dominic Cummings first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel during the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, June 12, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stood firm in his position on post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland in talks with French, German, and European Union leaders on Saturday, urging “pragmatism and compromise” to find a solution.

His spokesman told reporters other issues were raised in the talks with the leaders and rejected the idea that President Emmanuel Macron had demanded Britain stick to its divorce deal with the EU if it wanted a reset in relations with France.

Johnson, who is hosting a meeting of the G7 – the world’s most advanced economies – in southwestern England this weekend, is keen to downplay a row with the EU over their divorce agreement and put the focus on global issues.

But the spokesman said the so-called Northern Ireland protocol, part of the Brexit deal which covers trade with the British province, had been raised in talks with Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU leaders on Saturday.

“It’s important to stress again, with Macron and Merkel a number of issues were raised … The PM (prime minister) in all cases (expressed) confidence in the UK’s position as regards to the Northern Ireland protocol and the desire for pragmatism and compromise on all sides,” the spokesman said.

Asked about Macron’s proposal for a reset in relations if Britain showed it would abide by the Brexit deal it signed, he added: “That’s not how I would characterize the meeting this morning. The prime minister and President Macron agreed on the need to deepen the bilateral relationship between the UK and France … there was no dependence placed on that linked to the protocol.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/johnson-called-compromise-nireland-eu-meetings-spokesman-2021-06-12/?rpc=401&

The post UK PM stands firm on post-Brexit trade, calls for pragmatism first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she hoped the EU would not have to use the measures contained within the agreement.

But she noted the concerns in the EU that the UK had not yet fully complied with the terms of the earlier Brexit divorce deal and stressed that “vigilance” would be required in the future.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Parliament in Brussels (Olivier Hoslet/AP)

Von der Leyen was addressing the European Parliament as MEPs prepared to vote on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached with  Johnson on Christmas Eve, which governs the way the UK and EU deal with each other.

The deal has been applied provisionally since January 1 but requires the approval of MEPs – who are not expected to oppose it – before it can be ratified.

Von der Leyen said: “We know it will not always be easy and there is a lot of vigilance, diligence, and hard work ahead.

“But, while today’s vote is obviously an end, it is also the beginning of a new chapter.

“The choice is now whether today’s vote will be the high-water mark of the EU-UK relations for the next decades, or whether we see this as the foundation of a strong and close partnership based on our shared values and interests.

“Only history will tell what road is taken – although I hope for the latter.”

Relations between the UK and EU have been strained over the application of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs the post-Brexit arrangements aimed at preventing a hard border with Ireland and was part of the divorce deal signed in January 2020.

Much of the disruption and controversy created by the protocol relates to the fact that Great Britain has left the Single Market for goods, while Northern Ireland remains in the EU regulatory zone.

That necessitates a significant number of documentary checks and physical inspections on agri-food goods arriving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The UK has unilaterally extended grace periods covering areas of the economy including supermarket supplies and parcel deliveries to the north of Ireland from Great Britain, meaning post-Brexit checks are not yet fully applied – which has triggered a legal dispute with Brussels.

Von der Leyen said there was a need for “joint solutions” as “unilateral decisions will get us nowhere”.

She said there had been “some progress” in talks between commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and the UK’s Brexit Minister Lord Frost.

“In recent days and weeks, we have seen a new, constructive dynamic and we will continue to work closely with the UK to find constructive solutions that respect what was agreed,” she told MEPs

“The next step is to mutually agree on compliance paths, with concrete deadlines and milestones.”

She added: “We need solutions, not soundbites if we are to make the protocol work for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland.”

The post Warning to UK that EU will not hesitate to act if Brexit deal is breached first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Senior EU figures are contemplating a major reset in relations with the UK that would coincide with the formal ratification of the free trade agreement at the end of April, RTÉ News has learned.

The idea would be for both sides to work towards a package of solutions around the outstanding issues of the Northern Ireland Protocol, as well as other areas of tension, such as the status of the EU’s delegation to the UK.

Senior figures have confirmed to RTÉ News that a formal, set-piece event marking the ratification of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), which was concluded by both sides on Christmas Eve, could inaugurate a more harmonious relationship.

It is understood very tentative discussions have been under way at a senior level between officials in Brussels and London.

There has been a fractious start to the new post-Brexit relationship from the beginning of January, with simmering tension over the Northern Ireland Protocol, vaccine procurement, the diplomatic rights of the EU ambassador to the UK, and the alleged discrimination against citizens from a number of eastern European member states over UK work visas.

The fear among senior EU officials is that unless there is a clear reset then the relationship could become one of perpetual tension.

Some observers have seen the appointment of David Frost, the former UK Brexit negotiator, to the role of overseeing the future relationship as reflective of a dynamic that could be more about confrontation than co-operation.

The European Parliament is expected to formally ratify the TCA on 24 March, meaning national capitals would give their final and formal consent to the treaty early to mid-April.

Senior figures envisage a possible “handshake” moment involving British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU leaders that would symbolically mark a new, more harmonious era in relations.

This would ideally coincide with both sides signing off on a package of solutions to the most contentious outstanding issues, especially the Northern Ireland Protocol and the London embassy issue.

However, it is understood that there would have to be hard negotiations in the coming weeks in order to provide the political space for a genuine reset.

The Northern Ireland Protocol remains the most difficult issue, following the European Commission’s move to invoke Article 16 at the end of January.

Demands by unionists for the protocol to be scrapped have thus far fallen on deaf ears, but London and Brussels remain some distance apart on how to resolve the deepening antagonism over trade barriers on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

In December, both sides reached agreement on how to implement the protocol, which came into effect on 1 January.

A grace period, during which Northern Ireland supermarkets importing huge volumes of food from Great Britain would be absolved from needing expensive and cumbersome documentation, expires on 1 April.

A meeting on Wednesday of the EU-UK Joint Committee, co-chaired by commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and his UK counterpart Michael Gove, concluded with no real breakthrough on the outstanding issues.

It is understood Mr. Šefčovič has requested another joint committee meeting before the end of March, ahead of the deadline for the grace period to end.

The UK has asked for two grace periods, related to food safety rules, to be extended until 1 January 2023.

Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2021/0225/1199472-eu-uk-relationship/

The post Major reset of EU-UK relations being considered by EU first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.