EU Commission President von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Sunak present their agreement in Windsor. Parliament should vote on it. Sunak has to reckon with criticism, especially from his own party.
It might mark the conclusion of a years-long stalemate in the long history of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The EU and Great Britain want to finally settle the Brexit dispute over Northern Ireland. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Windsor to reach a possible agreement with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. She was excited to “start a new chapter with our partner and friend,” she wrote on Twitter before being welcomed by Sunak in Windsor, near London.
Sunak and von der Leyen presented and commented on the outcome of the talks at a joint press conference that ended shortly before 5 p.m. Mechanisms designed to make life easier for people in Northern Ireland had largely been leaked in recent days. You want to give everyone involved enough time to examine the details and form an opinion on the set of rules.
The green and the red trail
The new deal between Britain and the European Union will eliminate any sense of a border in the Irish Sea, British Prime Minister Sunak said. The agreement provides for different “lanes” for goods coming into Northern Ireland. The green lane is for imports that remain in Northern Ireland – this is where customs formalities are supposed to fall. The red lane is for goods and products that go further to Ireland, i.e. the EU. Here the formalities and customs regulations remain in place. Sunak was convinced that the agreement would solve the practical problems of many people. “If food is available in Great Britain, it will also be available in Northern Ireland .” Those who have a package delivered no longer have to deal with bureaucracy.
The new “Windsor Framework” – as the agreement, the legal framework for the Northern Ireland Protocol is called – is a legally formulated set of rules, but would make life easier for the people of the region.
Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of the agreement for peace in Northern Ireland. This peace, which the Good Friday Agreement made possible, can continue to be guaranteed.
Then the head of the commission was to be received by King Charles. In the evening, Sunak wants to inform parliament regarding the outcome of the talks. It is now eagerly awaited whether Sunak will also find support for the agreement from Brexit hardliners in his Conservative Party and the Northern Irish Protestant Party DUP. The DUP has been blocking the formation of a new government in Northern Ireland for months in protest at the regulation.
Controversial chapter of the Brexit treaty
The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit Treaty on Britain’s exit from the EU. It stipulates that the customs border between Great Britain and the EU runs in the Irish Sea. This was to prevent border controls between British Northern Ireland and the EU member Republic of Ireland having to be introduced. Otherwise it was expected that the conflict regarding unifying the two parts of Ireland would flare up once more.
But the controls also cause difficulties in intra-British trade. Union Protestant supporters in Northern Ireland feel cut off from Britain. London therefore wanted to renegotiate the contract.
Criticism of von der Leyen’s visit to King Charles
Von der Leyen’s planned meeting with the king caused frowns. The monarch always strictly stays out of daily politics. It is therefore considered unusual that he meets von der Leyen on the very day when a controversial agreement with Brussels is to be concluded. Critics accused Sunak of using the king for his purposes. A spokesman for the prime minister stressed that the decision as to whom the king would receive rested solely with the palace.
Sunak is under pressure from his predecessor Boris Johnson, who may be hoping for a comeback by presenting himself as a proponent of pure Brexit doctrine. But it is now considered unlikely that the Brexit hardliners in the conservative party will revolt. Brexit champion and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Steve Baker was very optimistic regarding the expected agreement on Monday. The prime minister is on the verge of a “fantastic agreement for all parties involved” in talks with the EU, the Conservative politician told reporters at Downing Street. Recently there was speculation regarding Baker’s resignation in protest once morest an agreement.
(APA/dpa/klepa)