London June 13, 2022 (AFP) – The British government on Monday introduced a bill to unilaterally amend the “Northern Ireland Protocol”, which was negotiated with the European Union in the context of Britain’s exit from the European Union.
The bloc’s authorities condemn the violation of a binding international agreement and threaten to respond.
Presenting the text to Parliament, which according to Boris Johnson’s executive branch is considered “legal”, begins the legislative approval process that can last several weeks.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the new law would “put an end to this unsustainable situation in which Northern Ireland is treated differently from the rest of the UK, and protect the sovereignty of our courts and our territorial integrity”.
She reiterated that London remains open to a negotiated solution, but only on the condition that the EU agrees to a profound “modification of the protocol”.
Brussels has indicated its willingness to make “adjustments”, but contacts between the two parties are not progressing. European officials warn that if London goes ahead with its plan, “they must respond with all available measures”.
Since Brexit negotiations began in 2017, protecting the precarious balance of power in Northern Ireland, a British region very close historically and culturally to the neighboring Republic of Ireland – an EU member state – has always been the biggest obstacle to overcome.
And despite the UK’s formal withdrawal from the bloc, which began in February 2020 and was fully completed in January 2021, the “Protocol” has always caused tensions – not only between London and Brussels, but also within Belfast’s independent regional institutions.
The 1988 Good Friday Peace Agreement, which ended three decades of bloody conflict between Protestant trade unionists and Catholic Republicans in Northern Ireland, stipulated that both parties would share power in the territorial executive of this British nation of 1.9 million people.
After the historic victory of the Republican Sinn Fein – the former political arm of the armed group ERA and supporter of Irish reunification – in the regional legislative elections on May 5, the DUP is blocking and rejecting the independent parliament. Form a government until London does not change the protocol.
Before the text was presented to Parliament, Truss called European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney.
Sefkovic said the EU had proposed “solutions” and deplored that “unilateral measures have shaken mutual trust”.
After the bill was introduced, he denounced the measure and spoke of “grave concern”, and plans to resume infringement proceedings against London.
Coveney, with whom the call lasted only 12 minutes, criticized a text that “violates Britain’s obligations in relation to international law” and accused Truss of “not entering into serious negotiations with the European Union”.
The United States, which was the guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, has expressed concern about the possibility of the United Kingdom unilaterally modifying the application of a text aimed at ensuring peace.
Democratic Federalist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson on Monday celebrated the bill’s introduction as an “important step”, but stressed it still had to move forward in Parliament.
On the other hand, most parties in Northern Ireland, including Sinn Fein, said in a joint letter that they “reject in the strongest possible terms” the new British legislation.
They highlighted that “while the protocol is not perfect, it is the only protection available” against the effects of Brexit, but it also represents an “economic advantage” for the region thanks to its “access to two key markets”.
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