European Commission says Northern Ireland Protocol talks with UK government will be solutions driven A poster against the NI Protocol on the gates of Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann. 23 February, 2021 01:00
The European Commission said it will bring a `constructive and `solutions driven attitude to this week s meetings with the British governmentAaron Chown/PA Wire.
THE European Commission has said it is fully committed to the proper implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol but will bring a constructive and solutions-driven attitude to meetings with the British government this week.
Spokesman Dan Ferrie also pledged support for the Good Friday Agreement when asked for its response to legal action supported by the main unionist parties and a number of Westminster politicians against the Protocol.
Europe Editor
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said there could be freer flowing trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under the Protocol if the UK agreed to align more closely to EU food safety and animal and plant health standards.
A veterinary agreement between both sides, or some form of equivalence arrangement, could lower trade barriers in areas where the UK is demanding flexibility from the European Commission, such as seed potatoes, seeds, potted plants, and pets, he said.
Speaking following a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Brussels, Mr Coveney said: In some of those cases the UK government has the capacity to facilitate that change if they want to agree to a different approach when it comes to equivalence of standards, for example.
Europe Editor
Late on 7 December, Michael Gove and Maros Šefcovic posed for a picture, smiling beneath their masks, on the fifth floor of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Pleased to announce that thanks to hard work, Michael Gove and I have reached an agreement in principle on all issues re the Withdrawal Agreement, the Commission vice-president tweeted. This will ensure it is fully operational as of 1 Jan.
Gove and Šefcovic had reason to be relieved. They had just spent 12 hours locked in negotiations to grind out the final compromises on how the Protocol would be implemented.
It drew a line under a year of acrimony, during which Boris Johnson had threatened to break international law with the Internal Market Bill, and there were (unfounded) allegations the EU would impose a food blockade on Northern Ireland.
Next steps
Once the Foreign Affairs and International Trade committees have approved their recommendation, the full House is set to vote before its provisional application lapses.
Separately, Parliament will also vote on an accompanying resolution, outlining its political position, prepared by the political groups in the UK Coordination Group and the Conference of Presidents.
Background
The new Trade and Cooperation Agreement has provisionally applied since 1 January 2021. For it to enter into force permanently, it requires Parliamentâs consent. Parliament has repeatedly stated that it considers the current provisional application to be the result of a unique set of circumstances and an exercise not to be repeated.
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