18/06/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 17 June, the Commission finally received a request from the UK government to extend until 30 September the grace periods provided for in the Protocol on Northern Ireland, particularly for controls on minced meat exports, it said in a statement. It will now assess this request, and Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič will contact his counterpart, David Frost, to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. The Commission will also consult the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. It is “willing to find solutions in line with the Protocol. However, to do so, the UK must fully implement the Protocol, which is the solution found to protect the Good Friday Agreement, the functioning of the economy on the island and the integrity of the EU’s single market. There is no alternative to the Protocol”, the Commission stresses. (SP)