UK, EU seek to avert 'sausage war' in post-Brexit talks
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. is calling on the European Union to show pragmatism and “common sense,” as the two sides meet to resolve differences over the implementation of their post-Brexit trade deal in Northern Ireland.
Britain’s chief official in the talks, David Frost, made the comment after his European Union counterpart said the bloc was ready to act “firmly and resolutely” if the U.K. failed to honor its commitments under the agreement. Frost and EU chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic are meeting Wednesday in London amid rising tensions in Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a land border with the EU.
A part of the trade deal known as the Northern Ireland Protocol was designed to protect the peace process in the region. Many pro-British residents are angry, however, because it creates a regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. Newly required border checks have also caused shortages of some products.
Britain is calling for compromise, but the EU says the new rules are needed to protect the bloc’s single market. Both sides fear the tensions could fuel a return to violence in Northern Ireland.
“Further threats of legal action and trade retaliation from the EU won’t make life any easier for the shopper in Strabane who can’t buy their favorite product,” Frost said, referring to a town in Northern Ireland. “What is needed is pragmatism and common sense solutions to resolve the issues as they are before us. This work is important, and it is ever more urgent.”
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland, was underpinned by the fact that both the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland were members of the European Union. That made it possible for trade to flow freely between Ireland and Northern Ireland,...
