Frost threatens to suspend another part of the treaty between N Ireland and the EU

The British government will suspend part of the Brexit trade agreement in Northern Ireland if it does not get approval from the EU, Lord David Frost said on Monday.

The British Prime Minister Brexit wrote in a speech at a Conservative party conference in Manchester, warning that Brussels had failed to understand the number of changes needed to meet the agreement that disrupted post-Brexit relations with the EU.

“I urge the EU to be more ambitious. It will not help to cut corners. We want a big change,” he said.

The UK and Brussels have been in talks since last July over the so-called Northern Ireland protocol, part of the Reconciliation Agreement which requires all goods from Britain to Northern Ireland to comply with EU laws and regulations.

Although he agreed with what happened in October 2019, Frost said the agreement was “unreliable” and called for it to be re-signed, including the removal of oversight of the European Court of Justice.

The European Commission is developing new ideas to address some of the challenges posed by the agreement, which ambassadors are expected to address later this month.

However, Frost confirmed that the UK had little hope for the Brussels package and was willing to suspend some aspects of the agreement unanimously, using a method called Article 16.

“We are awaiting a formal response from the EU on our request. But my concern is that we will not find one that can help the major changes we need,” he said, adding that he had sent documents to the commission based on his response. has been explained and the UK in July.

Officials on both sides said the negotiators live far away. At a closed-door meeting with MEPs last week, EU Brexit EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic also said the bloc was open to “resolving answers” on the suspensions, but only in accordance with previously agreed rules.

Among these are the long-term solutions to drug paraphernalia and innovative marketing efforts in Northern Ireland. But calls for the UK to abolish the ECJ’s role were not a priority, Brussels stressed.

UK officials have also said that London will not allow an outside court to regulate internal trade borders between the Irish Sea. Instead, they seek an independent course. “We need to set a goal that trade with Belfast is the same as trade with Birmingham,” said one.

That being said, the Brussels opposition should lead to more talks in late October or early November, officials said. Failure to comply with the agreement may result in the adoption of Article 16, a provision which both parties may request if they decide that the process is a “financial, economic or environmental crisis”.

The UK said in July that the limit on the use of Article 16 had already been met, but it was too late to apply for a response. The EU has the same reason suspension backwards lawsuits filed earlier this year for violating UK law.

Under pressure, Article 16 would lead to further negotiations, and if no agreement could be reached, legal and commercial sanctions would be imposed. EU officials say Brussels’ actions in the UK in calling for Article 16 depend on whether London used to respond to a limited number of territories, or have taken a long way to the border along the Irish coast.

If the UK goes too far, there is a risk of repatriation and legal losses, officials say.

French Minister for Europe Clément Beaune warned in an interview with FT that the imposition of Article 16 “could kill the deal”, including elements of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. He added that Paris hopes the UK will not take this.

“It simply came to our notice then [the UK] “They do not want to honor the agreements we have signed, that is, the departure agreement, trade agreement and agreement – it can undermine trust, and undermine the stability of Ireland,” he said.

London is being pressured by Protestant parties in Northern Ireland, which have rejected the law as a threat to their territory in the UK and want it abolished.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has threatened to overthrow the ruling party in Northern Ireland this month by releasing his cabinet only after the law is passed.

Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, told FT that the introduction of Article 16 would not go unnoticed. “It can address a few problems in the process and start a discussion but it is not a long-term solution,” he said.

Officials from both groups said several months were needed to establish a relationship between the EU and the UK that had been poisoned since January with the issue of protocol.

Frost acknowledged that cooperation was needed in restoring “good relations” with Brussels, adding: “But we cannot wait indefinitely. Without a solution we have recently agreed to, we must take action, using Article 16 defense mechanism.”