A DUP MLA has criticised the EU for introducing legislation that would allow it to take retaliatory action should the UK Government breach the terms of the agreement. It comes as new legislation, first proposed by the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Constitutional Affairs Committees in October, received the full approval of the European Parliament.
MEPs voted on Wednesday to finalise the legislation that would allow the EU Commission to sanction the UK if London fails to comply with the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. DUP Upper Bann MLA Diane Dodds has said the European Union should focus on replacing the Northern Ireland Protocol with arrangements that unionists and nationalists can support rather than brandishing threats of sanction.
Mrs Dodds said: “The EU is failing to recognise the concerns of Unionists. Despite the Protocol driving up the cost of doing business, hindering the supply of medicines and preventing the devolved institutions from functioning, Brussels refuses to face the reality that the very arrangements it insisted upon are undermining political and economic stability in Northern Ireland.
“For weeks we have been told the mood music is good and that talks have been constructive. Yet the EU seems to be focused on punishing the UK for having the audacity to protect the integrity of its internal market. “The hypocrisy is staggering. Let’s not forget that it was the EU that moved to trigger Article 16 to stop the supply of vaccines during the pandemic.”
She added: “Rather than using the threat of sanctions as a stick to beat the Government, the EU need to get on with agreeing alternative arrangements that can command the support of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland. “Any solution must restore the consent principle at the heart of the Belfast and St Andrew’s Agreements. Not a single Unionist MP or MLA supports the Protocol. Without a return to consensus politics the future of devolution will remain on life-support.
“It is crucial that the Government hold their nerve in the face of this aggression but most of all there is a need for decisive action. An antidote for the poison the Protocol has injected into our politics is found in the Protocol Bill. Ministers must not shy away from taking the necessary steps to bring matters to a head and finally restore Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.”
Meanwhile in Dublin, Ursula von der Leyen struck a more compromising tone. She spoke of “encouraging” engagement with Rishi Sunak on the Northern Ireland Protocol, but added that the consequences of Brexit cannot be completely removed.
Arriving in Dublin for a two-day visit on Thursday, the European Commission president said she is “very confident” a solution on the protocol would be found if the UK government is willing. Negotiations are continuing between London and Brussels aimed at securing post-Brexit changes to the satisfaction of both sides.
The protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement for Northern Ireland designed to avoid a hard border, has caused some trading issues since its implementation. It has resulted in tensions between the EU, the UK and Ireland on how to resolve them, particularly after a Bill was introduced at Westminster that aims to remove unilaterally some trading rules currently in place. In an address to the Irish parliament, Ms von der Leyen suggested that relations had improved under Mr Sunak.
“I’m glad that today our talks with London are marked by a new, more pragmatic spirit because the European Union and the United Kingdom are still members of the same extended family, even if we no longer live in the same house,” she said.
“I can promise you that whenever the European Union sits down with our British friends, we will do so with ‘an honest heart and an open mind’ – to quote the great Irish band The Saw Doctors. “By applying common sense and focusing on the issues that really matter in Northern Ireland, I believe we can make progress in resolving the practical issues surrounding the protocol.
“We’re listening closely to the business and civil society stakeholders in Northern Ireland, but the consequences of Brexit and the kind of Brexit chosen by the UK cannot be removed entirely.” She added: “The solutions we find must ensure that the single market continues to function in Ireland and elsewhere in the European Union.
“I think if both sides are sensitive to this careful balance, a workable solution is within reach. I believe we have a duty to find it. “My contacts (with) Prime Minister Sunak are encouraging and I trust we can find the way. “Let me reassure you, Ireland can always count on the European Union to stand by the Good Friday Agreement. There can be no hard border on the island of Ireland.”
“I think if both sides are sensitive to this careful balance, a workable solution is within reach. I believe we have a duty to find it. “My contacts (with) Prime Minister Sunak are encouraging and I trust we can find the way.
“Let me reassure you, Ireland can always count on the European Union to stand by the Good Friday Agreement. There can be no hard border on the island of Ireland.” This prompted applause from Irish politicians in the chamber.
Even the best scientists today can’t comprehend how such a miniscule tail can wag the mightiest of dogs
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A DUP MLA has criticised the EU for introducing legislation that would allow it to take retaliatory action should the UK Government breach the terms of the agreement. It comes as new legislation, first proposed by the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Constitutional Affairs Committees in October, received the full approval of the European Parliament.
MEPs voted on Wednesday to finalise the legislation that would allow the EU Commission to sanction the UK if London fails to comply with the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. DUP Upper Bann MLA Diane Dodds has said the European Union should focus on replacing the Northern Ireland Protocol with arrangements that unionists and nationalists can support rather than brandishing threats of sanction.
Mrs Dodds said: “The EU is failing to recognise the concerns of Unionists. Despite the Protocol driving up the cost of doing business, hindering the supply of medicines and preventing the devolved institutions from functioning, Brussels refuses to face the reality that the very arrangements it insisted upon are undermining political and economic stability in Northern Ireland.
“For weeks we have been told the mood music is good and that talks have been constructive. Yet the EU seems to be focused on punishing the UK for having the audacity to protect the integrity of its internal market. “The hypocrisy is staggering. Let’s not forget that it was the EU that moved to trigger Article 16 to stop the supply of vaccines during the pandemic.”
She added: “Rather than using the threat of sanctions as a stick to beat the Government, the EU need to get on with agreeing alternative arrangements that can command the support of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland. “Any solution must restore the consent principle at the heart of the Belfast and St Andrew’s Agreements. Not a single Unionist MP or MLA supports the Protocol. Without a return to consensus politics the future of devolution will remain on life-support.
“It is crucial that the Government hold their nerve in the face of this aggression but most of all there is a need for decisive action. An antidote for the poison the Protocol has injected into our politics is found in the Protocol Bill. Ministers must not shy away from taking the necessary steps to bring matters to a head and finally restore Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.”
Meanwhile in Dublin, Ursula von der Leyen struck a more compromising tone. She spoke of “encouraging” engagement with Rishi Sunak on the Northern Ireland Protocol, but added that the consequences of Brexit cannot be completely removed.
Arriving in Dublin for a two-day visit on Thursday, the European Commission president said she is “very confident” a solution on the protocol would be found if the UK government is willing. Negotiations are continuing between London and Brussels aimed at securing post-Brexit changes to the satisfaction of both sides.
The protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement for Northern Ireland designed to avoid a hard border, has caused some trading issues since its implementation. It has resulted in tensions between the EU, the UK and Ireland on how to resolve them, particularly after a Bill was introduced at Westminster that aims to remove unilaterally some trading rules currently in place. In an address to the Irish parliament, Ms von der Leyen suggested that relations had improved under Mr Sunak.
“I’m glad that today our talks with London are marked by a new, more pragmatic spirit because the European Union and the United Kingdom are still members of the same extended family, even if we no longer live in the same house,” she said.
“I can promise you that whenever the European Union sits down with our British friends, we will do so with ‘an honest heart and an open mind’ – to quote the great Irish band The Saw Doctors. “By applying common sense and focusing on the issues that really matter in Northern Ireland, I believe we can make progress in resolving the practical issues surrounding the protocol.
“We’re listening closely to the business and civil society stakeholders in Northern Ireland, but the consequences of Brexit and the kind of Brexit chosen by the UK cannot be removed entirely.” She added: “The solutions we find must ensure that the single market continues to function in Ireland and elsewhere in the European Union.
“I think if both sides are sensitive to this careful balance, a workable solution is within reach. I believe we have a duty to find it. “My contacts (with) Prime Minister Sunak are encouraging and I trust we can find the way. “Let me reassure you, Ireland can always count on the European Union to stand by the Good Friday Agreement. There can be no hard border on the island of Ireland.”
“I think if both sides are sensitive to this careful balance, a workable solution is within reach. I believe we have a duty to find it. “My contacts (with) Prime Minister Sunak are encouraging and I trust we can find the way.
“Let me reassure you, Ireland can always count on the European Union to stand by the Good Friday Agreement. There can be no hard border on the island of Ireland.” This prompted applause from Irish politicians in the chamber.
Even the best scientists today can’t comprehend how such a miniscule tail can wag the mightiest of dogs