The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has warned that Brussels will not succumb to threats or blackmail, as a fierce dispute over the Northern Ireland border has taken a step closer to fueling a trade war.
Maroš Šefčovič in fact accused Boris Johnson of lying about the consequences of the EU withdrawal, saying it was time for “honesty” on the problems posed by the hard Brexit form chosen by the UK government.
Insisting that the 27-nation bloc is united in rejecting Britain’s demands to rewrite the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, he sent a sharp message to London: “We in the EU never work with threats, we never work with extortion, we try to we are working with a constructive commitment and that is what I am pleading for. ”
The vice-president of the European Commission spoke after Foreign Minister Liz Truss told him that Britain would have “no choice” but to take unilateral action unless Brussels complied with its request for new concessions under the protocol, which practically created a customs border between Northern Ireland and the mainland of Great Britain.
Her comments in critical telephone conversations with Mr Šefčovič set the stage for publication within days of the adoption of legislation repealing the protocol signed by Mr Johnson in 2020 in order to keep the Irish border open after Brexit.
Expressing his “regret” at the rejection of Britain’s demands by the EU to reconsider Mr Shefcovic’s negotiating mandate, the foreign minister said that “if the EU does not show the flexibility to help resolve these issues, then as responsible government we will have no choice but to act ”.
Her ultimatum came hours after Attorney General Suela Braverman revealed she had received legal advice that it would be legal to tear up parts of the protocol because of the “disproportionate and unreasonable” way the UK believes it has been implemented by Brussels.
Speaking to BBC Question Time on Thursday night, Ms Braverman said the protocol was becoming “painful, obviously necessary”.
Former Brexit minister Lord Frost, meanwhile, wrote in the Telegraph that the government had “no choice” now but to tear up “part or all of the protocol”. He called on Johnson to act, even if it led to a “confrontation” with the bloc.
Downing Street acknowledged that the situation was “very serious”, but insisted that no action had been taken yet. The talks are expected to continue at the official level in the coming days.
But Mr Shefcovic said it was now “likely” that the UK government would draft a new version of the internal market bill, which would provoke a deep rift between London and Brussels in 2020, after ministers acknowledged that its provisions to remove customs inspections would violate international law.
A senior Downing Street source said the cabinet was united on the position that “something needs to be done” as the EU’s position seems to be solidifying.
“You never know what the EU will return with,” the source said. “But they set out their position today, and we have no signal that this will change.”
Mr Johnson himself said the government felt compelled by the Unionist DUP’s refusal to join the Shin Fein administration to share power, as long as the protocol remained in its current form – a situation he suggested was the signing of the Agreement. from Good Friday in danger.
“It is clear that the unionist community will not accept the protocol,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. We have to fix it. “
Any unilateral breach of the UK protocol could eventually lead to a trade war with Europe, which will allow Brussels to suspend all or part of the zero-tariff trade agreement signed in 2020.
Former head of the government’s legal department, Sir Jonathan Jones QC, who left because of the internal market bill, warned that introducing the necessary legislation to repeal the protocol would be “seriously problematic”.
“It looks like a repeat of what happened two years ago, when the government offered to violate international law,” he said.
“We know that the EU will be very tense if that happens, and I think it is understandable that they will be crossed, because it will be a unilateral act and it will seriously damage the relationship that we will continue to need. EU post. “Brexit.”
But the legislation could take up to a year to pass through parliament, with strong opposition expected in the House of Lords, and government sources have made it clear that talks could continue during that time to try to prevent a costly setback. trade relations.
Mr Shefcovic expressed “serious concern” about the deadlock, warning that it would be “unacceptable” for the United Kingdom to abandon an international treaty signed by Mr Johnson.
He warned that the prime minister’s ambitions in Tuesday’s speech to further derail the UK from EU standards and regulations would lead to “more complications, more difficulties, more checks” on goods crossing the border.
Condemning the lack of “political will” on the part of Britain to commit to the proposed solutions to the suspension of trade, the vice-chairman of the commission said: “Honesty is needed about what the United Kingdom has signed. Honesty, the EU cannot solve all the problems created by Brexit and the type of Brexit chosen by the United Kingdom.
“We will not renegotiate the protocol and the EU is united in this position. Unilateral actions that do not effectively implement the protocol are not the solution. “
After being briefed by Mr Shefchovich on his talks with Mrs Truss, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Cowney said Dublin agreed to reject “threats from the UK government to unilateral action and violations of international law”.
“The way forward is partnership, dialogue and real negotiations, not threats and rising tensions,” Mr Cowney said.
Ms Trus raised tensions over Tuesday’s statement with a statement warning that the EU’s proposals to ease trade friction would in fact “take us back”.
But Mr Shefcovic told her on Thursday that there was “no room” for further concessions or a change in his negotiating mandate, which must be agreed by all 27 EU member states.
Ms Truss said the protocol caused an “unacceptable disruption” and created a “two-tier system in which people in Northern Ireland are not treated in the same way as everyone else in the UK”.
Calling for “more pragmatism” from the commission, she said the problems could be solved while protecting the EU’s single market by implementing the UK’s proposals for goods destined for Northern Ireland to be sent by green channel ”with a light touch to the address of the customs, as strict checks are reserved for those who are directed to the republic.
But Mr Shefcovic said taking unilateral action to fail to implement an international treaty would undermine EU-UK confidence and compromise efforts to defend the Good Friday Agreement.
“The EU and the United Kingdom are partners facing the same global challenges, where maintaining the rule of law and respecting international obligations is essential,” he said. “Working side by side in a constructive way is crucial.”
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