15/12/2021 (Agence Europe) – The Commission declined to react on 15 December to the announcement by UK Brexit minister David Frost on the same day that London would extend beyond 1 January a grace period for the introduction of post-Brexit controls on goods moving from the island of Ireland to Britain, in order to provide space for negotiations with the EU. This issue will be discussed during his planned talks on 15 and 17 December with Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, the Commission said. The UK government has already twice delayed (see EUROPE 12785/14) the implementation of certain controls while discussions on the protocol have not yet found common ground. David Frost said it was unlikely that these discussions would be “definitively concluded” by 1 January, he said, quoted by Reuters. (SP)