UK asks EU for ‘flexibility’ on Irish Sea debacle following trade war threats
Brexit minister Lord Frost will meet his EU counterpart Marcos Sefcovic later today, in which it is hoped a compromise can be reached over the Irish Sea debacle.
Ahead of the today’s meeting in London, Frost reportedly said: “Time is short and practical solutions are needed to make the protocol work.
“I look to the EU to show flexibility and engage with our proposals so that we can find solutions that enjoy the confidence of all communities.”
The sides are in talks over simplifying the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the UK’s Brexit withdrawal deal.
The Protocol created a trade border in the Irish Sea, in order to prevent goods checks along the Irish land border, which in turn required new checks on goods going to Ireland from Britain, causing disruption to some food supplies and online deliveries.
The UK is unilaterally planning to extend a grace period to allow Northern Irish shops to continue selling chilled meats, including sausages and mince from Britain once it expires at the end of this month.
The UK’s plan prompted the bloc to threaten to start a trade war with the UK if high-level talks failed to resolve a dispute over border checks in the Irish Sea.
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said the EU would “not be shy” in taking action to ensure that the UK abides by its international commitments.
Today’s meeting will cover issues including fish, farming, customs and trade facilitation and law enforcement, as well as a discussion on the Northern Ireland Protocol.