European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen RollingNews.ie photo

Protocol Discussed in White House Meeting

When it comes to the Irish Sea Protocol President Joe Biden has Ireland's back.

This is according to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who met with Biden in the White House on Wednesday.

Von der Leyen, according to a report in The Guardian, "has claimed that the EU’s position on Northern Ireland has the support of the U.S. president, as Brussels prepares a 'ladder' of retaliatory options up to and including the suspension of the UK trade deal over Boris Johnson’s threats to ditch the current post-Brexit arrangements."

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Stated the Guardian report: "After a meeting at the White House, the European Commission president said Joe Biden was in agreement with the bloc that Johnson should not upend the tortuously negotiated Northern Ireland protocol."

In the coming days the Commission is expected to present EU states with various retaliatory options if the UK government goes ahead with its threat to suspend parts of the arrangements designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Von der Leyen, according to the Guardian account, told reporters in Washington: “I think that President Biden and I will share the assessment that it is important for peace and stability on the island of Ireland to keep the withdrawal agreement and to stick to the protocol.

“This protocol has managed to square the difficult circle that Brexit caused. And now Northern Ireland has access to both markets that have access to the single market, the British single market as well as the European single market. Therefore, the situation is a positive one. And we want to do everything to cut red tape to be as flexible as possible within the protocol.”

The White House later issued a statement stating that both leaders had, during their talks, “expressed their continued support for political and economic stability in Northern Ireland."

The protocol keeps Northern Ireland in the single market and draws a customs border down the Irish Sea. But under article 16, parts of the agreement can be suspended as a “safeguard” in response to a distortion of trade, or the creation of societal difficulties.

There have been difficulties in some corners of loyalist society but all indications are, and with cross border trade booming of late, that most people in Northern Ireland are satisfied with the present arrangement which was agreed to by the British government and EU.

 

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