The European Affairs Ministers of the EU Member States, meeting in the General Affairs Council on Tuesday 20 April, supported the Commission’s approach to the UK government on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland and called for solutions to be found with London under the Protocol.
Vice President Maroš Šefčovič informed the Ministers about his dinner with UK Minister David Frost and the EU’s request to enforce the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
At the final press conference, he also stressed that last Thursday’s vote in parliamentary committees on the trade and cooperation agreement is “good news”, as it paves the way for ratification in plenary in April (see EUROPE 12699/1).
For the Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, this ratification of the trade and cooperation agreement will avoid “legal uncertainty”. However, as of Thursday 22 April, the European Parliament has yet to set the agenda for the 26-29 April plenary session, as some MEPs are currently tempted not to put this ratification on the agenda because of the problems encountered with the protocol.
Indeed, the Vice-President insisted on the EU’s “vigilance” on this issue, and on its availability to help its partner.
‘Ridiculous’ measures
Earlier in the morning, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to take “all necessary steps to end the barriers created by the EU withdrawal agreement” and the “ridiculous” aspects of the protocol.
Asked about this, Mr Šefčovič stressed that the withdrawal agreement, along with its protocol, had been “negotiated, signed and ratified by the British government and therefore must be implemented”. Everything Boris Johnson “is pointing to is the consequence of a Brexit that the UK wanted and chose”.
The Vice-President added that discussions were underway to facilitate these checks under the agreement in order to “minimise the impact” on the citizens of Northern Ireland. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)