EU finds Northern Ireland Minister’s decision ‘unhelpful’

Wednesday (2 February) Northern Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Edwin Poots announced the cessation of sea border checks into Northern Ireland. The European Commission confirmed today (3 February) that the checks continued to happen as normal on Thursday according to their staff who are present on the ground. 

A European Commission spokesperson said that Poots’ decision was “unhelpful.” The situation is expected to come up during a scheduled phone call between UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič. 

“That is effectively a breach of international law,” Simon Coveney, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, said. “It was agreed and ratified by the UK and the EU and its implementation is not only part of an international treaty, but it is part of international law. To deliberately frustrate obligations under that treaty I think would be a very serious matter indeed. It’s essentially playing politics with legal obligations.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission emphasized its commitment to the Northern Ireland Protocol and that it has been working closely with the UK to address challenges associated with implementing the Protocol. The Commission also highlighted the UK government’s obligation to uphold their end of the agreement. 

“The European Commission remains steadfast in our efforts to facilitate the implementation of the Protocol, while safeguarding the integrity of the EU's Single Market,” the spokesperson said. “Solutions proposed by the EU reflect our contacts with Northern Irish stakeholders and would immediately and significantly help operators on the ground.”

In addition to the European Commission's statements, the European Parliament's UK Contact Group made a statement condemning the violation of the Protocol. Their statement echoed the views of the Commission, saying that it "fully supports the European Commission’s efforts to facilitate its implementation and to preserve the integrity of the Single Market."

Northern Ireland’s Secretary of State Brandon Lewis posted on Twitter that the implementation of the checks is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is the devolved government of Northern Ireland. A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that the move was unexpected however failed to discuss any actions being taken by the UK government to address the situation. 

The chairman of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, Simon Hoare, said on Twitter that the UK needs to fulfill its international obligations in order to preserve its international reputation. 

The checks were implemented as part of the UK’s Brexit agreement to prevent the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland. The checks are meant to protect the EU’s single market while still respecting the Good Friday Agreement.

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