Brussels told to keep the European court out of NI Brexit deal
THE EU offered to change the way it enforces Brexit rules in Northern Ireland last night to end the “sausage wars” that have put the peace process at risk.
But the Government has told Brussels it wants to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the region.
Leavers said the EU’s refusal to do so showed Brussels cannot be trusted and was using Brexit rules in Northern Ireland as a “weapon”.
Former Brexit minister David Jones said the demand to end the jurisdiction must be a UK “red line”.
He added: “If you look at the way the EU has been applying the protocol it’s very hard to trust them not to revert to it and to seek the approval of the courts for doing whatever they do.
“We can’t leave it with a bit of tinkering at the edges. What they appear to be suggesting is that they would apply the protocol in the way that we thought they would be applying it at the outset.
“So it’s quite clear that they are not beyond using the protocol as a weapon against the UK and I frankly wouldn’t trust them not to do the same again.”
The protocol was drawn up to prevent a hard Irish border because Northern Ireland became the frontier with the EU.
But it has caused tensions in Belfast after Brussels took a hardline approach to enforcing agreement.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the proposals “fall far short of the fundamental change needed”. He added: “We have a window of opportunity to get this right. The prize for doing so will be great for both sides but most of all for the people of Northern Ireland who can break free from the protocol infecting day-today decisions.”
Brexit minister Lord Frost said the protocol was being enforced “without any sort of democratic process”. He said: “We need to find a solution that everybody in Northern Ireland can get behind and provides a better balance and supports the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement fully.”
Brussels put forward changes to rules covering food and drinks products, customs and medicine. The reforms include cutting spot checks on retail goods by 80 per cent. Paperwork must still be submitted ahead of shipping but the amount of vet-approved export-health certificates would be drastically reduced.
The ban on chilled meat, such as sausages, would also be relaxed but products would have to be clearly labelled so they do not end up on sale over the border in the Republic of Ireland.
It comes after various grace periods on full implementation of the protocol after tensions in Northern Ireland over the impact of trade rules. But the package does not include measures to allow pets to travel freely into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
The EU said its proposals on customs will halve the volume of paperwork needed on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland through expansion of trusted trader arrangements.
Lord Frost and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic will hold talks tomorrow over dinner.
Mr Sefcovic said: “We have listened to, and engaged with Northern Irish stakeholders, from political leaders to businesses and a cross-section of civic society. Our proposed solutions are a direct response to concerns they raised.”
The Government said the proposals will be looked at “seriously”.
A spokesman said: “Significant changes which tackle the fundamental issues at the heart of the protocol, including governance, must be made if we are to agree a durable settlement which commands support in Northern Ireland.”
Sean McGuire, CBI Europe director, said: “The UK and EU have listened to business on many of the technical solutions needed to protect GB-NI trade. Both sides must get back round the table – and agree sustainable solutions that work for businesses and communities in Northern Ireland.”