A conversation between EU Commission President von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Sunak was seen as a sign of a possible solution to the Northern Ireland dispute. But the Leyens’ visit to King Charles upset many.
The signs of an agreement in the Brexit dispute between Great Britain and the EU are increasing. The EU ambassadors in Brussels were convened for a special meeting this Monday followingnoon, as announced by the Swedish EU Council Presidency. There, the responsible EU Commission Vice Maroš Šefčovič should inform the ambassadors regarding talks between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The two politicians had decided to continue working personally on practical solutions for the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol.
Von der Leyen was optimistic on Twitter. She is looking forward to “opening a new chapter with our partner and friend,” von der Leyen wrote on Monday.
The meeting is expected to announce a settlement in the long dispute. 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.
Dispute over visit to King Charles
Otherwise it was expected that the conflict regarding unifying the two parts of Ireland would flare up once more. But the controls are also creating difficulties for intra-British trade, and Union’s Protestant supporters in Northern Ireland feel cut off from Britain.
Von der Leyen and Sunak will appear before the press at 4:30 p.m. Central European Time, at least that’s what was said on Monday followingnoon. The EU Commission President will also meet King Charles. However, the visit is not directly related to the Northern Ireland negotiations. The former party leader of the Brexit party Ukip, Nigel Farage, criticized the visit as the “unelected Urusla von der Leyen” as “absolutely disgraceful”.
Will Sunak bring DUP to his side?
Crucial to the success of an agreement is therefore whether Sunak will manage to get the largest Protestant Unionist party in Northern Ireland, the DUP, behind him. In protest once morest the protocol, they have been blocking the formation of a government in the British part of the country for months and are demanding drastic changes. The Leyens’ visit to King Charles is unlikely to go down well there either. At least that’s what former party leader Arlene Foster said on Twitter on Monday: “I can’t believe No10 is asking His Majesty the King to interfere in the conclusion of such a controversial deal as this. That’s blatant and will go down very badly in NI.”
The hard core of Brexit supporters in the British Tory party and his predecessor Boris Johnson also warned Prime Minister Sunak once morest making too many concessions to the EU.
In several guest posts and interviews, Sunak has already prepared his party, his critics and the British people for the agreement. “Brexit is still not fully implemented and I want to bring this to an end,” Sunak said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“We need to make Brexit work for the whole of the UK,” he wrote in the conservative Telegraph. According to the newspaper, there is already resistance in his own cabinet and Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker is already considering his resignation. In the tabloid Sun, Sunak assured readers that he would remain a staunch Brexiteer despite his alleged compromise with the EU.
Northern Ireland: Close contact desired with both sides
Representatives from London and Brussels had been struggling to find solutions to the problems that had arisen since the Brexit Treaty came into force in 2020. Transitional phases imposed unilaterally by London ensured that the necessary controls were not yet fully implemented. While ex-Prime Minister Johnson and his short-term successor Liz Truss threatened to unilaterally withdraw from the protocol, current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a more constructive note.
The British Parliament should still be able to vote on the deal negotiated with Brussels. The opposition Labor Party has announced its support for the Conservative government.
(APA/dpa)
