The European Commission confirmed on Monday 17 May that the UK had responded on 14 May to the letter of formal notice it had sent to London in March regarding non-compliance with the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (see EUROPE 12678/1).
It was now necessary to analyse the situation “before deciding on the next steps”, said the spokesperson for the EU institution, Daniel Ferrie. He gave assurances that the EU remained fully focused on their objective of finding solutions to improve the implementation of the protocol and “the various comments in the press, which are not helpful, will not prevent us from doing so”.
Mr Ferrie was referring to an op-ed piece by the UK minister, David Frost, which appeared in the British press over the weekend; the article argued that the protocol, in its current form, does not meet the challenges that are being posed.
“A year ago, the UK and the EU agreed that the protocol was the best way to ensure peace and stability and that it provided answers to the type of Brexit that had been decided upon”, recalled Daniel Ferrie. “We expect the UK to deliver on its commitments”, he added.
As for the Commission, they will continue to engage in exchanges “that are constructive and help matter to progress”.
The implementation of the UK Withdrawal Agreement (including the Protocol) and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement will be discussed by EU leaders on 24-25 May. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)