The United Kingdom is refusing to grant the same diplomatic status as that granted to national diplomats to the European Union ambassador in London, João Vale de Almeida, and his team because the EU is not a nation state, the BBC reported on Thursday 21 January.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, has written to the British Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, to challenge this decision.
“Due to the specific characteristics of the Union, EU delegations enjoy privileges and immunities equivalent to those of diplomatic missions under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by host States”, said Peter Stano, Borrell’s spokesman. “The EU’s status in external relations and the diplomatic status it enjoys as a result are widely recognised by States and international organisations around the world. We expect the UK to treat the EU delegation accordingly and without delay”, he added.
The United Kingdom, as a signatory to the Treaty of Lisbon, is well aware of the EU’s status in external relations and was in favour of it when it was a member.
The EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, who is still advising Mrs von der Leyen for a few weeks, also considered, at a public event, that the EU could not be “treated as an international organisation”.
It should be noted that on Thursday the British government appointed a new ambassador to the EU to replace Tim Barrow. This is Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, who was assisting British negotiator David Frost. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)