The European Commission does not want it to come to that, but is ready to activate its infringement tools and sanction measures under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), such as the return of tariffs and quotas, if the UK persists in its unwillingness to implement the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
This was the message delivered on Wednesday 9 June by Commission Vice-President Maros Šefčovič to his British counterpart, David Frost, whom he met in London both in the framework of the new Partnership Council created by the TCA and in the framework of an eighth meeting of the Joint Committee, where the protocol was specifically discussed, as was citizens’ rights.
The “EU’s patience is running out”, the European official said, calling on London to avoid unilateral action as some grace periods expire on 30 June.
In particular, the vice-president lamented the fact that the EU is currently unable to monitor what is happening at the border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the UK authorities are not allowing the EU access to IT systems or putting sufficient staff in place.
A first infringement action was launched in March on the non-application of the protocol, and the action before the Court of Justice could come in the autumn, the vice-president said. “Confidence must be restored”, the vice-president commented.
The day before, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her “serious concerns” about the implementation of the protocol to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a phone call ahead of the G7.
The vice-president also mentioned other issues on Wednesday, namely those on fisheries, with licences not granted to European boats, with a meeting planned before the end of August between experts from both sides to enforce the TCA, as well as those on the treatment of European citizens and London’s discrimination between Member States by charging some European nationals higher fees to obtain long-term visas in the UK.
For his part, David Frost noted that the meeting with his EU counterpart had not resulted in a “breakthrough”, notably on veterinary controls or the ban on the import of fresh minced meat or products other than seed potatoes into Northern Ireland, a ban that the British media have been amused to refer to as “a sausage war”.
He also noted continuing problems with the delivery of medicines and assured that the UK would also take all necessary steps to preserve the stability of the island, including further extending the grace periods on controls. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)