EU warns London that breaching Brexit agreements may complicate their future relationship

The EU and the UK must cement their new bond after 47 years under the same roof.

But Brussels warns that the second breach of the Brexit agreement in six months "complicates the future relationship" between the two parties.

The Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic warns that he will continue with the reprisals provided for in the Brexit pacts if London fails to comply with the sections on border controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country.

Maros Sefcovic (Bratislava, Slovakia, 54 years old) is the guardian of compliance with the UK Withdrawal Agreement.

As head of the European Union in the joint commission between the two blocs, in the time he has been dealing with London, he has already seen how the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, twice violated the agreements reached.

And on both occasions, due to the provisions of a very delicate protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement that establish that the only land border of the EU with the United Kingdom will not be on the island of Ireland, but between the British province of Northern Ireland and the rest from the country.

The European Commission now accuses Johnson of having unilaterally extended until October the grace period that allows the entry into Northern Ireland without customs control of certain goods from other parts of the United Kingdom, which expired on the 31st. interview by videoconference with a group of European media, including EL PAÍS, Sefcovic reiterates the willingness of the EU to reach a friendly agreement, although if this is not possible, he will continue with the judicial process.

"I keep the channels open and hope to reach constructive solutions to all the issues raised by our British partners," he says.

Sefcovic recalls that both parties are now experiencing the “consequences of Brexit”.

"We all knew it would be difficult," he says.

UK exports to the EU, for example, plunged 41% in the first month of Brexit and, according to London, the complexity of setting up a system of customs controls in Northern Ireland ports translates into empty shelves in supermarkets.

Aware of the discomfort that the agreements arouse among Northern Irish unionists, Sefcovic was willing to listen to the demands of "business and civil society" in the region.

“I am open to listening to the specific problems and difficulties faced by the people of the island of Ireland, but we have to solve it together,” he says.

“It is very difficult to operate in an environment where the government that signed and ratified this international law is actively advising the business community not to follow the rules and not respect the law.

And, of course, we hope that this will be corrected ”, he adds.

Johnson's decision to give free rein to British products without border controls jeopardizes the agreements reached, which sought to preserve the Good Friday Agreements and the integrity of the single market.

Brussels does not want the ports of Belfast and Larne to become a drain for goods from outside the EU.

For this reason, Sefcovic advocates maintaining a “constructive” position as well as “firm”.

The European Commission launched an infringement procedure against the United Kingdom last Monday, understanding that Johnson's extension violates the agreements.

Sefcovic immediately sent a formal letter to Foreign Minister Dominic Raab and another policy to British negotiator David Frost.

“We ask the UK Government to respond within one month.

Of course, if that does not happen, we will have to continue with the legal actions ”, he warns.

• Lessons from the Good Friday Agreement

The next step, he stresses, will be a reasoned opinion.

"That means we are bringing the UK to the EU Court of Justice, with jurisdiction over the implementation of the protocol," he says.

“At the same time, we can use the mechanisms provided in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

I'm talking about arbitration, ”says the commissioner.

That can lead to financial penalties imposed by an arbitration panel.

And, in case of disregarding that verdict, in the final point of the Withdrawal Agreement - except for the section on citizens' rights - and the commercial pact.

"All these possibilities and options are on the table", abounds the commissioner.

Sefcovic does not want to talk about going further and punishing the UK in other areas where they must also reach deals, such as financial derivatives.

However, he does admit that it may have an impact on the rest of the folders on the table.

"The more serious the legal action, the more difficulties there will be for the agreements," he points out.

Sefcovic is committed to using the joint committee to find solutions and not "acting unilaterally, because that does not help anyone, it aggravates the situation and complicates the future relationship."

"The UK misunderstands the deal"

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic accused British diplomatic chief Dominic Raab of "misinterpreting" the Brexit agreements.

The British minister had said the day before that the EU intended to build a border between the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"If I say it in a very diplomatic way, it is a total misunderstanding of the agreement we have signed," said Sefcovic, who affirmed that the international prestige of the United Kingdom is increasingly in question every day.