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EU Commission Vice-President Šefčovič: Great Britain violates “international law”
Photo: Olivier Hoslet/EPA
The dispute over customs regulations for the British province of Northern Ireland between the European Union and Great Britain has reached a new level of escalation: the EU Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against Great Britain.
Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said London's actions violated international law and threatened peace in Northern Ireland.
The British government massively aggravated the dispute at the beginning of the week and officially proposed making significant unilateral changes to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol.
Specifically, three legal procedures are involved: two of these infringement procedures will be initiated, another will be resumed.
These can result in proceedings before the European Court of Justice and a fine for London.
Despite repeated requests, the British government has failed to implement the protocol, the EU Commission said.
"This is a clear violation of international law." That was unacceptable, said Šefčovič, who, as the EU Commissioner, is responsible for the negotiations between London and Brussels.
Dispute over goods control
Post-Brexit disputes erupted over how and where goods coming into Northern Ireland from the UK should be inspected.
Both sides want to avoid a border on the island of Ireland amid fears it could result in violence and reignite the Northern Ireland conflict.
The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the 2019 Brexit deal.
It stipulates that the province, which is part of the United Kingdom, will continue to follow the rules of the EU internal market and the European Customs Union.
This is intended to prevent product controls for the EU member Republic of Ireland in order to prevent the conflict between opponents and supporters of a unification of the two parts of Ireland flaring up again.
But now an intra-British goods border has been created.
London had originally agreed to this arrangement.
Now, however, the British government wants to abolish most controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain and exempt British traders for goods to Northern Ireland from the obligation to make EU customs declarations.
The EU rejects a fundamental revision of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
However, it has allowed practical simplifications in the controls.
col/AFP/Reuters/AP/dpa
