Post by Admin on Jun 13, 2022 19:57:51 GMT
EU accuses UK of breaking international law over plans to change Brexit deal
6,993 views Jun 14, 2022 The rift between the government and the EU has widened again, as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss published plans to unilaterally change the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The prime minister insisted it was "no big deal" but was necessary to keep Northern Ireland's status in the United Kingdom.
But the EU thinks it is a big deal, insisting unilateral action is very damaging. The Irish prime minister said that it was a new low point for the UK to renege on an international treaty.
The UK government has published plans to get rid of parts of the post-Brexit deal it agreed with the EU in 2019.
It wants to change the Northern Ireland Protocol to make it easier for some goods to flow from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
But the EU opposes the move, saying that going back on the deal breaches international law.
The government said there is "no other way" of safeguarding essential interests of the UK.
It argues the term "necessity" is used in international law to justify situations where "the only way a state can safeguard an essential interest" is by disapplying - or breaking - another international obligation.
It adds that action taken must not "seriously impair" essential interests of other states.
The government is promising to remove "unnecessary" paperwork on goods checks and that businesses in Northern Ireland will get the same tax breaks as those elsewhere in the UK.
The bill will also ensure that any trade disputes are resolved by "independent arbitration" and not by the European Court of Justice, it adds.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said it was "a reasonable, practical solution to the problems facing Northern Ireland" and that the UK could "only make progress through negotiations if the EU are willing to change the protocol itself", adding: "At the moment they aren't."