From sausages to drugs, what the Eurocrats are proposing
SUPERMARKET GOODS
Proposals put forward by the European Commission would see 80 per cent of checks removed on goods moving from Great Britain to be sold on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland. Lorries transporting different food products would only need one certificate stating all the goods rather than a separate one for each type. VERDICT: Britain will welcome this.
SAUSAGES
An EU ban on the import of chilled meats, which would have prevented sausages and burgers entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, will end thanks to a special exemption. Brussels is proposing a new category of ‘national identity’ products to include British produce. VERDICT: Britain will welcome this.
CUSTOMS CHECKS
PAPERWORK will be halved for goods arriving into Northern Ireland from Britain under the EU’s offer. For example, a car dealer in Belfast buying parts from London will only need to provide basics such as the total value of the shipment rather than detailed information. VERDICT: Britain will welcome this.
MEDICINES
The EU will allow medicines licensed for sale in the UK to be prescribed in Northern Ireland without having to undergo further checks by European regulators. Brussels promised to change legislation to ensure no disruption to medical supplies. VERDICT: Britain will welcome this.
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE
The proposals by the European Commission offered no progress on this issue. Brexit minister Lord Frost has made clear the removal of the oversight function of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in policing the protocol is a red line for the Government. The UK wants to remove a provision that gives the ECJ the final say in any future trade dispute and to replace it with an independent arbitration process.
VERDICT: Failure to move forward on this key issue threatens to blow up the talks.
LABELLING AND SURVEILLANCE
In return for removing checks and customs paperwork, Brussels is demanding extra safeguards to stop goods arriving into Northern Ireland being smuggled into the EU. They want real-time access to British government databases on products crossing from Great Britain and for products to be labelled as for sale only in the UK. VERDICT: Britain has until now resisted these but may agree if they unlock other compromises.