EU ‘could set aside Brexit trade deal if UK suspends NI Protocol’
A UK move to suspend parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol could see the EU doing likewise with the Brexit trade deal, the Irish foreign minister has warned.
Simon Coveney said it appeared the UK was set to follow through with its threat to trigger the Article 16 suspension mechanism within the post-brexit arrangements for Irish Sea trade.
He said it looked as though the UK was laying the foundations to make the move when the COP26 conference in Glasgow was over.
Mr Coveney claimed the EU would respond in a “very serious way” to such a unilateral act.
But he expressed hope a trade war could be avoided.
He insisted the EU was in “solutions mode” and could go a “little further” in terms of trying to streamline checks required on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
However, he warned there was a limit to the EU’S flexibility and criticised the UK Government for adopting a tactic of asking for a lot while offering nothing in return.
Noting potential retaliatory action the EU could take if the UK triggers Article 16, Mr Coveney highlighted that the Trade and Co-operation Agreement was contingent on implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the protocol arrangements.
“I believe that if the British government essentially refuses to implement the protocol, even with the extraordinary flexibilities that are now on offer, and instead looks to set it aside then I think the EU will respond in a very serious way to that,” he said.
He said that did not mean the introduction of a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The minister added: “It means that the Trade and Cooperation Agreement that was agreed between the British government and the EU was contingent on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, which includes the protocol.
“One is contingent on the other.
"So if one is being set aside, there is a danger that the other will also be set aside by the EU.”
The British Government has repeatedly warned it will move to unilaterally suspend elements of the protocol if an agreed outcome is not reached.