With the frustration of Britain’s refusal to fully implement its follow-up policy, the relationship between Britain and the EU may become increasingly fragile.Bressy Senior officials in Brussels warned that Northern Ireland has an obligation to fulfill its obligations.

The head of EU-UK relations, Maros Sefcovic, said that he hopes that the two sides will reach a common “road map” in early June, which will provide solutions to issues related to the introduction of new trade arrangements. A clear timetable. area.

Although the EU showed “creativity and pragmatism” in the discussions, the situation in the UK is not optimistic. The EU Brexit Commissioner told the Financial Times that he had warned his British counterpart David Frost (David Frost) EU member states are getting more and more impatient.

“To be honest, all these solutions come from our side,” Sevkovic said. “Obviously, if we do not see positive progress, the atmosphere will be even more sore. [making it] Finding political compromise is even more difficult. The political environment will be more challenging. “

Austerity meeting

Sevkovic confirmed the proposed meeting of the EU-Brexit Joint Commission in the week of June 7 to reach an agreement on a “joint approach” to resolve differences in the operation of the Northern Ireland trade border. Since April, EU-UK officials have been working on this plan.

Both parties are worried about the upgrade intense situation Before the so-called marching season, in Northern Ireland, the Protestant Orange Medal of the area held a traditional parade. The Northern Ireland Protocol in the UK’s 2019 EU withdrawal treaty creates a British-administered trade and veterinary border in the Irish Sea, thereby avoiding the need for any north-south inspections on the island of Ireland. But this has caused great controversy in the trade unionist communities in the area, and fueled the wave of riots in April.

Sevkovic said that the EU is working to resolve the agreement-related stimulus that has emerged since the new EU-UK trade agreement came into effect on January 1-from obstacles to the flow of guide dogs between Northern Ireland and the UK, and then Turning to tariff issues on steel, value-added taxes on used cars, and more general issues related to food safety inspections.

Sevkovic said: “However, from the perspective of the United Kingdom, we still don’t have a basic answer.” He pointed out that the European Union requires real-time access to IT systems used to monitor trade and requires a clear plan for British deployment and staffing. Border checkpoint.

“Increasingly impatient” with the UK

He warned Frost In a conference call last week, “the EU’s impatience has increased [to see] The UK will now propose a solution” to fulfill its obligations under the Protocol.

In contrast, the United Kingdom believes that the EU’s requirements for inspections of products from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland are rigid.

A spokesman for the British government said: “Even if the single market risks are very limited, the EU will continue to treat the regulatory borders of the Irish Sea like other Irish external borders.”

“This has led to reduced availability and choice on supermarket shelves, cancellation of deliveries, retailers pulling products and interfering with the movement of pets and packages.” This ongoing destruction is undermining the entire protocol. “The spokesperson added.

Sevkovic said that the EU needs to ensure the “integrity” of its single market by ensuring that products undergo proper scrutiny, but he reiterated the British proposal. Swiss style A veterinary agreement, which would eliminate the need for food safety controls-the UK rejected this step because it implies that it is being aligned with EU rules. He added that Brussels is trying to find practical solutions to stimulate trade, he said: “To be honest, I don’t know what else we can do.”

The key meeting of the joint committee next month is likely to be held back-to-back, while another EU-UK trade meeting will focus on trade, while Biden will land in the UK not long ago to participate in the G7 summit. There is speculation in the EU capital that the US President’s visit to Europe will give him the opportunity to advance the Northern Ireland trade arrangement.

Legal threat

Sevkovic said that the UK needs to realize that Brussels is also a “political space” and cannot let him tell the EU government “Look, these are ten things I solved for the UK” and can only answer “zero”. , Nothing”, when the capital asked him what he got in return.

Brussels is also underway Legal action After the United Kingdom unilaterally extended the grace period for businesses that transport goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it objected to the United Kingdom. Sevkovic said the UK’s written response to Brussels’ complaints was “disappointing.” If “no more constructive comments were heard at the joint committee meeting in June,” the EU might have no choice but to Escalate the dispute.

Obviously, if we do not see positive development, the atmosphere will be even more sore.

That would mean the final procedural steps before the UK can be sued in the European Court of Justice.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, chose Sefcovic (who has been EU commissioner in Slovakia since 2009) to lead Brussels and Brexit chief negotiator this year Work with the UK to implement the agreement after leaving office. Michel Barnier.

This is a stressful job, because the capitals of the EU countries are becoming more and more annoyed, because some parts of the new relationship have not been weakened. This includes not only Northern Ireland, but also fishing rights and work permits for Central and Eastern Europeans.

Sevkovic said the EU has been outraged after the emergence of some EU citizens being held in immigration detention centers after arriving in the UK without a visa. He said: “You can imagine what my phone rang and how many letters I received,” he added, and since then, he has maintained fruitful contact with the British Home Office.

Sevkovic said that he had been looking forward to working with London on a positive agenda to ensure that Northern Ireland took advantage of its unique position in the EU single commodity market and the UK market.

He said the agreement “should be transformed into a great opportunity for Northern Ireland.”