On the eve of the resumption of their post-Brexit trade negotiations, the tone rose again, Sunday, September 13, between the United Kingdom and the members of the European Union (EU). Ireland denounced as “False” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s accusations that the EU is threatening him with a “Blockade” in Northern Ireland. On Saturday, Mr Johnson said he was forced to partially renege on his commitments to the “Threat” that the EU establishes a “Blockade” in Northern Ireland and prevents food from the rest of the kingdom from entering.
“This is just not the case, reacted Sunday, on Sky News, the Irish Minister of Justice, Helen McEntee. Any suggestion that this will create a new frontier is just plain wrong. “ Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, for his part, told the BBC that the government’s attitude “Damaged the UK’s reputation as a trusted partner”.
At the root of the dispute is a bill that the British government introduced to Parliament on September 9 and which partly contradicts the agreement already signed on the UK’s exit from the EU – a move violating the international law, by Boris Johnson’s own admission. This controversial text will give London the power to unilaterally make trade decisions in its province of Northern Ireland, powers that are supposed to be shared with Europeans under the Brexit deal. It thus violates key provisions of the treaty concluded last year, which aims to ensure fair competition after Brexit and prevent the return of a border, in accordance with the 1998 peace agreement which ended three decades of unrest in the province.
“The international credibility of the UK signing is at stake”
“It is time for the British government to take responsibility”, reacted on Twitter on Sunday the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, urging him to implement the agreement already signed because “The international credibility of the United Kingdom’s signature is at stake”. In an interview published by The Parisian, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, ruled “Inconceivable” one “Great democracy” like UK “Come back to a text that they themselves negotiated and voted on, denying the word given”.
Flying to the rescue of Boris Johnson, British negotiator David Frost, however, claimed that the European team had “Explicitly said”, during their previous round of negotiations, that the United Kingdom would not ” automatically “ put on the list of countries authorized to export food to Europe. And “If Britain does not get on this list, it will automatically be illegal for Northern Ireland to import food from” the rest of the country, he explained in a series of Tweet, ahead of his meeting next week with his European counterpart, Michel Barnier, in Brussels.
A high-risk “no deal”
Consideration of the text will begin on Monday in the House of Commons, where the Conservative government has a majority of 80 seats. But some rebel Conservative MPs are threatening not to vote on the text and are asking the British justice minister, Robert Buckland, to resign to show his disagreement. Opposition leader Labor Keir Starmer called in the Sunday Telegraph to the Prime Minister to reconsider his bill, judging it ” bad “ and ” counter productive “, to “To move forward on Brexit” to better deal with the health crisis.
The British government does not seem inclined to give in, even though the leaders of the European Parliament threatened on Friday to veto any trade pact if London does not keep its promises. The escalation of tensions risks complicating the discussions scheduled for next week in Brussels to reach a trade agreement and avoid a high-risk “no deal” on 1er January.
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