Will Northern Ireland experience further episodes of shortages in its stores?
On Monday, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, said he was "confident" that a solution could be found within the next 48 hours regarding the post-Brexit restrictions on supplies to Northern Ireland which cause a "sausage war" between London and Brussels.
Customs controls specific to the British province since Brexit have caused great tensions there, fueled by the entry into force scheduled for Thursday of measures preventing the shipment of refrigerated meat from Great Britain.
A measure that worries London not wanting to see its exports of charcuterie penalized.
Thus, the British government has asked for a three-month postponement of these measures until an alternative solution is found.
"I remain confident that we can find a solution"
“Although I cannot announce the formal EU agreement today at the request of the UK government (…), I remain confident that we can find a solution within the next 48 hours which will meet the needs and concerns of both parties, ”Maros Sefcovic told the Northern Ireland Assembly executive committee on Monday.
“I hope that together we can solve the refrigerated meat problem within 48 hours.
We will have three months to make another attempt to solve this problem ”, underlined the vice-president, adding that the EU approaches this subject with“ an open mind ”.
Shortages and delays in deliveries in Northern Ireland
More than six months after the entry into force of Brexit on January 1, the application of the agreement in Northern Ireland remains the main bone of contention between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Customs rules keep Northern Ireland in the customs union and the single European market.
However, with one major specificity: checks must be carried out on goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.
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But these customs formalities have caused tensions in supply chains in Northern Ireland.
“British companies were not ready to carry out such checks.
We then saw delivery delays and shortage problems multiply in supermarkets, especially in the food industry (cold meats, fruits, vegetables) ”, indicated to the Parisian, Patrick Martin Genier, professor at Sciences-Po and at the 'INALCO, specialist in Europe.
Above all, these customs formalities angered unionists attached to membership in the United Kingdom, to the point of reviving community tensions with Republicans in favor of Irish reunification.