On Friday 12 November, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, welcomed a “change of tone” in London on the part of his British interlocutor, David Frost, notably on the topic of threatening to activate Article 16 and on a willingness to engage in searching for solutions regarding the protocol for Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Vice-President hoped that this change of tone would “result in tangible results”, he added, announcing that discussions would continue next week with a view to a new meeting being held in Brussels on 19 November with David Frost.
Next week, discussions will become more intense, in particular on the subject of medicines, which were the subject of proposals on 13 October (see EUROPE 12811/14). The Vice-President said he hoped that constructive exchanges on this topic would inspire a resolution to be found over other issues, such as the administrative difficulties surrounding trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Vice-President hoped that the UK government, which uses the Article 16 weapon “too often”, would engage in constructive and focused discussions to improve the daily lives of people and businesses in Northern Ireland.
For his part, David Frost was of the opinion that it was his government’s “preference” to find a “consensual solution”, but noted that Article 16 is one of the “legitimate” tools included in the protocol. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)