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Brexit: London extends transition periods in the "sausage war"

2021-09-06T19:55:13.341Z


Since July meat products from Great Britain should no longer be allowed to be brought to Northern Ireland - actually. Because London is reluctant to implement the Brexit rules. Brussels reacts with a cold.


Enlarge image

Controls in the port of Belfast, Northern Ireland (archive image)

Photo:

Brian Lawless / AP

The British government wants to unilaterally postpone the application of Brexit rules to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country again. Brexit Minister David Frost announced this in a statement to the House of Lords. The grace periods, which actually expire at the end of the month, will be extended, as Frost wrote. This should create the space for ongoing technical discussions with the EU. The aim is to work out a "constructive process" to address problems identified in the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The reaction from Brussels was cold. It is an international agreement to which all sides are legally obliged, according to a statement by the EU Commission. However, they do not want to initiate further legal steps for the time being. Even an ongoing infringement procedure should not be continued for the time being, it said. The focus is on finding practical solutions for implementing the protocol. The EU Commission ruled out a renegotiation of the agreement requested by London.

The so-called Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit Agreement and is intended to ensure that no border controls between Northern Ireland, which belongs to the United Kingdom, and the EU member Ireland are necessary. An open border between the two parts of the Irish island is a prerequisite for maintaining the fragile peace in the former civil war region. Instead, checks must now be carried out when goods are brought from England, Scotland or Wales to Northern Ireland. That creates difficulties for which both sides hold each other responsible. In London it is said that the protocol cannot be implemented, but Brussels is accusing the British of blocking.

The protocol is particularly problematic with regard to food of animal origin.

The British press therefore dubbed the dispute the "sausage war".

Meat and sausage products from Great Britain should not have been brought to Northern Ireland since July.

But both sides agreed at the time to extend the grace period until the end of September - London now wants to extend it again.

mkl / dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-09-06

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