EU rejects UK queen’s speech demand to change Northern Ireland protocol
The U.K. should show "creativity" and "determination" to solve the ongoing Brexit dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol instead of threatening unilateral action, the European Commission's vice-president Maroš Šefčovič said today.
His comments came in a rare formal EU response to the U.K. queen's speech, in which the British government set out its domestic legislative agenda.
While the U.K. backed down from threats that it could introduce legislation to rip up the special Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland, it did make a veiled threat to Brussels that it could still act unilaterally. The document accompanying the speech — which was delivered by Prince Charles because of health issues for the monarch — said the U.K. would not allow negotiations with the EU to “stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland.”
Boris Johnson's government also urged the EU to negotiate changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, as the section of the Brexit deal is known.
The EU swiftly rejected that demand on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that the ball was in the U.K.'s court.
"From the very beginning, the EU has worked tirelessly to propose creative and durable solutions, showing flexibility on how the Protocol should be implemented," Šefčovič said in a statement. "It has shown that solutions can be found without changing the Protocol."
"We want to finalise these solutions as quickly as possible. But to do this, we need the UK government to show the same level of determination and creativity," the statement continued.
While the U.K. backed down from threats that it could introduce legislation to rip up the special Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland, it did make a veiled threat to Brussels that it could still act unilaterally. The document accompanying the speech — which was delivered by Prince Charles because of health issues for the monarch — said the U.K. would not allow negotiations with the EU to “stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland.”
Boris Johnson's government also urged the EU to negotiate changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, as the section of the Brexit deal is known.
The EU swiftly rejected that demand on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that the ball was in the U.K.'s court.
"From the very beginning, the EU has worked tirelessly to propose creative and durable solutions, showing flexibility on how the Protocol should be implemented," Šefčovič said in a statement. "It has shown that solutions can be found without changing the Protocol."
"We want to finalise these solutions as quickly as possible. But to do this, we need the UK government to show the same level of determination and creativity," the statement continued.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
