European Union and British officials are seeking to unlock an agreement on their post-Brexit trade relationship by February and put to rest a contentious dispute that’s overshadowed relations since the UK left the bloc three years ago.
James Cleverly Photographer: Toby Melville/AFP/Getty Images
◾The NI Protocol has soured EU-UK relations
◾Šefčovič, Cleverly will meet in Brussels on Thursday
14th December, 2022.
The two sides have intensified talks over recent weeks on the so-called Northern Ireland protocol after months of stalemate, according to people familiar with the matter. The mood in London and Brussels is more positive than it has been in a while.
Read More: UK to Delay NI Vote, Hopes for EU Deal First
STORMONT: Maroš Šefčovič outside parliament buildings
The EU’s Brexit chief, Maros Sefcovic, will meet UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Brussels on Thursday to take political stock of matters. The meeting — their first in person — is not expected to provide an immediate breakthrough but the hope is it will give impetus to accelerate negotiations further in the new year, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions.
Any agreement would need the UK to move away from a position that has so far demanded that the European Court of Justice has no role in solving disputes relating to EU law, while the EU would need to further ease hurdles to trade flows between Britain and the North of Ireland and other obstacles such as the free movement of pets, according to one of the people.
The change in mood from EU officials reflects what their UK counterparts have been saying in recent weeks. Bloomberg previously reported that London had decided to delay elections in the North of Ireland to February in order to allow time for the UK and EU to strike a deal by that date.
The hope is to reach a deal well before the April anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement/Belfast peace agreement, the person said but cautioned that it was not a given as any settlement would likely need to satisfy the Democratic Unionist Party in the North of Ireland and Tory members in Westminster who supported Brexit. From the EU side, possible arrangements would need to respect the bloc’s rulebook.
A British official said the UK was not softening its stance on the ECJ (European Court of Justice). Any agreement would allow the two sides to move forward and focus on delivering the trade deal part of the UK-EU accords, including cooperation on research programs and a memorandum of understanding on financial services, one of the people said.
The NI Protocol is a key plank of the Brexit deal negotiated and agreed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson some three years ago now but one that successive UK prime ministers have refused to implement, leading the EU to open several infringement procedures against London.
The protocol is the part of the Brexit agreement that keeps the North of Ireland in the EU customs block to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Throughout November, the EU also carried out tests on the UK’s live database for tracking goods flowing from mainland Britain to the North of Ireland. If the bloc is satisfied, it could pave the way for an agreement on customs checks on Brexit Sea Border.
With many thanks to: Bloomberg News and Alberto Nardelli, Alex Wickham, and Ellen Milligan for the original story.
Follow this link to to find out more on this story: UK, EU Seek to Clinch NI Brexit Deal by February
— With assistance by Jorge Valero
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