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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the EU for triggering an emergency override provision in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement as part of efforts to control vaccine exports, accusing Brussels of having “undermined” the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Last Friday, the European Commission invoked Article 16 of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, which could have led to checks on the island of Ireland, temporarily halting the special border arrangement intended to preserve the Good Friday peace agreement. The move led to a cacophony of outrage, in response to which the Commission reversed course that same night.
“Recent EU moves have undermined the Protocol & understandably provoked concern,” Johnson tweeted late Tuesday, in his strongest comments since the row between the EU and the U.K. kicked off. “Let me underline that, now & in the future, Northern Ireland’s place in the UK will be protected and strengthened. What is needed is urgent action from the EU to resolve outstanding problems with Protocol implementation, so as to preserve the gains of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with members of the European Parliament earlier on Tuesday, telling political groups she accepted “full responsibility” for overriding the Brexit deal.
U.K. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove will talk Wednesday with Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, and is expected to ask Brussels for an extension of the grace period for checks on key goods. The talks come after threats were made against staff carrying out checks at Northern Ireland’s ports, with some checks now temporarily suspended.
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