EU will pursue legal action over Brexit rules in Northern Ireland for ‘as long as necessary’
The EU this morning warned that it would continue to pursue legal action against the UK “for as long as necessary” over post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland.
In talks last night, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic urged his British counterpart David Frost to pursue jointly agreed solutions to the issues.
In a statement this morning, Frost said that the talks had established some “positive momentum”, but several outstanding issues remained.
Earlier this year, the UK unilaterally took the decision postpone new checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
The move has infuriated EU officials, who claim it is a breach of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
This week’s talks come after two weeks of violent rioting in Belfast from unionist and nationalist communities unhappy at the post-Brexit arrangements.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said that Frost, the Prime Minister’s envoy on post-Brexit EU trade, had “repeated the UK’s commitment to working through the joint bodies provided for by the Withdrawal Agreement”.
“He underlined that any solutions had to be consistent with the overriding commitment to respecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions and to ensuring minimum disruption of everyday lives in Northern Ireland.”
A statement released by the EU said: “The vice-president [Sefcovic] insisted on mutually agreed paths towards full compliance with the Protocol, which includes clear end-points, deadlines, milestones and the means to measure progress.”