> The Northern Ireland Protocol was a significant achievement during the volatile Brexit process, and its full implementation is critical for ensuring Brexit doesn’t undermine decades of progress toward peace on the island of Ireland.
> The Good Friday Agreement and broader peace process took patience and time to build, with good faith contributions from the communities in Northern Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and others. However, peace can unravel quickly.
> In threatening to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the United Kingdom threatens to not only destabilize trade relations, but also that hard earned peace. We call on the UK to abandon this dangerous path, and to commit to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol in full.
Especially the last sentence is as strong as a diplomatic gesture as you can see.
This sub went down hard on Šefčovič, accused of being an appeaser, but in the end he made a name for himself in NI and sold them the Protocol (a majority of citizens in Northern Ireland now supports it), all while taking into consideration the legitimate political interests of the Union and its member states. Engaging directly with business in NI was also a good politica move, and if the polls are correct it is highly llikely the next NI election will return a majority which supports the protocol.
The road on the implementation of the protocol is not at all finished, but as now being level headed paid off.
Ugh…. We should have just sent a court jester into these negotiations. Probably would have done a better job than Frost. 🤦♂️
So he made a deal, negotiated line by line. The agreement was signed and voted through by the Houses of Parliament. Northern Ireland business leaders are happy with the deal, giving them access to both GB & EU markets. The unelected Frost wants to tear down the deal because it doesn’t fit with the Brexit narrative. The conservatives have gone back to their old ways…”if in doubt, play the Orange card”
Text of the article:
Ministers will tomorrow attempt to de-escalate tensions with the European Union over Northern Ireland and assure Brussels that Boris Johnson does not want to trigger Article 16.
Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, will signal to Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s chief negotiator, that the government will renew efforts to get a deal on the controversial Northern Ireland protocol and enter intensive talks over the next few weeks.
Sources said that Frost was keen to emphasise to Sefcovic that while the UK had reservations about the commission’s proposals to reduce checks on goods crossing between Britain and Northern Ireland, they could, with changes, form the basis of an agreement.
Frost will also make clear that while triggering Article 16, which would unilaterally suspend part of the protocol, remained an option, the government was reluctant to use it.
“Triggering Article 16 does not solve the problems we face,” a Whitehall source said. “Even if we were to do it, eventually we’d still have to get back round the table.”
They added that Frost wanted the talks to enter a “new more intensive phase” that would allow both sides the “space” to compromise.
Senior government figures are understood to have been alarmed at the ratcheting-up of tensions over Article 16 amid suggestions that it would trigger a trade war with the EU.
While privately ministers have given three more weeks for the talks to make progress, this deadline could be extended if a deal still looks possible.
At the meeting tomorrow Sefcovic will urge Frost to drop an “unattainable” demand to reduce the role of the EU courts in the protocol.
He will stress that progress has been made when negotiations focus on concrete questions, such as reducing customs declarations, and appeal to the government to make a “step towards the EU” by “reciprocating” concessions made last month.
“There have been areas of progress in discussions,” said a commission official. “If the UK wants these discussions to succeed then the major step we took needs to be reciprocated. The UK wants us to engage in intensive talks and we are happy to. But the UK must take a step towards us. We will take the time necessary.”
The UK side is hoping that Sefcovic will eventually agree to a more limited role for the ECJ as part of a new dispute resolution process.
Talks over the past few weeks have, according to EU officials, made substantial progress on easing trade friction on the supply of retail goods, especially food, with a scheme for single customs declarations extended from supermarkets to the wider catering sector, including restaurants and school canteens.
A major EU concession tabled on October 13 will allow a single customs declaration for supermarket deliveries, dropping a requirement for a separate form for each foodstuff for lorry loads that often contain dozens of products.
However, the UK side said that the EU had set a very narrow definition of goods that qualify for reduced paperwork. This, it said, meant that because most lorries going into Northern Ireland carry a wide range of different goods, the majority of lorries would still be stopped for checks.
Ha. The inevitable UK rollover
The best deal with the EU was membership. If you’re not seated at the table then you’re on the menu.
Strange. Last time I checked there was already a deal signed.
7 comments
The climbdown by Frost on Article 16 comes after:
– Šefčovič warned that there is a [clear link between the Protocol and the trade deal](https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2021/1110/1259031-brexit/), and ditching the former means ditching the latter.
– [This statement](https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/2021/11/meeks-keating-blumenauer-and-boyle-issue-statement-on-uk-s-threat-to-invoke-article-16-of-the-northern-ireland-protocol) was issued by US Chair of Foreign Affairs/Chair of Europe/Trade:
> The Northern Ireland Protocol was a significant achievement during the volatile Brexit process, and its full implementation is critical for ensuring Brexit doesn’t undermine decades of progress toward peace on the island of Ireland.
> The Good Friday Agreement and broader peace process took patience and time to build, with good faith contributions from the communities in Northern Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and others. However, peace can unravel quickly.
> In threatening to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the United Kingdom threatens to not only destabilize trade relations, but also that hard earned peace. We call on the UK to abandon this dangerous path, and to commit to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol in full.
Especially the last sentence is as strong as a diplomatic gesture as you can see.
– Business associations [came in favour of the Protocol](https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2021/1109/1258931-ni-protocol-manufacturing/), seeing it as an opportunity rather than just a hinderance.
This sub went down hard on Šefčovič, accused of being an appeaser, but in the end he made a name for himself in NI and sold them the Protocol (a majority of citizens in Northern Ireland now supports it), all while taking into consideration the legitimate political interests of the Union and its member states. Engaging directly with business in NI was also a good politica move, and if the polls are correct it is highly llikely the next NI election will return a majority which supports the protocol.
The road on the implementation of the protocol is not at all finished, but as now being level headed paid off.
Ugh…. We should have just sent a court jester into these negotiations. Probably would have done a better job than Frost. 🤦♂️
So he made a deal, negotiated line by line. The agreement was signed and voted through by the Houses of Parliament. Northern Ireland business leaders are happy with the deal, giving them access to both GB & EU markets. The unelected Frost wants to tear down the deal because it doesn’t fit with the Brexit narrative. The conservatives have gone back to their old ways…”if in doubt, play the Orange card”
Text of the article:
Ministers will tomorrow attempt to de-escalate tensions with the European Union over Northern Ireland and assure Brussels that Boris Johnson does not want to trigger Article 16.
Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, will signal to Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s chief negotiator, that the government will renew efforts to get a deal on the controversial Northern Ireland protocol and enter intensive talks over the next few weeks.
Sources said that Frost was keen to emphasise to Sefcovic that while the UK had reservations about the commission’s proposals to reduce checks on goods crossing between Britain and Northern Ireland, they could, with changes, form the basis of an agreement.
Frost will also make clear that while triggering Article 16, which would unilaterally suspend part of the protocol, remained an option, the government was reluctant to use it.
“Triggering Article 16 does not solve the problems we face,” a Whitehall source said. “Even if we were to do it, eventually we’d still have to get back round the table.”
They added that Frost wanted the talks to enter a “new more intensive phase” that would allow both sides the “space” to compromise.
Senior government figures are understood to have been alarmed at the ratcheting-up of tensions over Article 16 amid suggestions that it would trigger a trade war with the EU.
While privately ministers have given three more weeks for the talks to make progress, this deadline could be extended if a deal still looks possible.
At the meeting tomorrow Sefcovic will urge Frost to drop an “unattainable” demand to reduce the role of the EU courts in the protocol.
He will stress that progress has been made when negotiations focus on concrete questions, such as reducing customs declarations, and appeal to the government to make a “step towards the EU” by “reciprocating” concessions made last month.
“There have been areas of progress in discussions,” said a commission official. “If the UK wants these discussions to succeed then the major step we took needs to be reciprocated. The UK wants us to engage in intensive talks and we are happy to. But the UK must take a step towards us. We will take the time necessary.”
The UK side is hoping that Sefcovic will eventually agree to a more limited role for the ECJ as part of a new dispute resolution process.
Talks over the past few weeks have, according to EU officials, made substantial progress on easing trade friction on the supply of retail goods, especially food, with a scheme for single customs declarations extended from supermarkets to the wider catering sector, including restaurants and school canteens.
A major EU concession tabled on October 13 will allow a single customs declaration for supermarket deliveries, dropping a requirement for a separate form for each foodstuff for lorry loads that often contain dozens of products.
However, the UK side said that the EU had set a very narrow definition of goods that qualify for reduced paperwork. This, it said, meant that because most lorries going into Northern Ireland carry a wide range of different goods, the majority of lorries would still be stopped for checks.
Ha. The inevitable UK rollover
The best deal with the EU was membership. If you’re not seated at the table then you’re on the menu.
Strange. Last time I checked there was already a deal signed.