Irish foreign minister warns of ‘red line barrier’ in NI protocol dispute

Ireland’s Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, has accused the British government of creating a “red line barrier to progress” in post-Brexit negotiations over the Northern Ireland protocol.

The comment followed the release of excerpts of a speech that UK Brexit Minister David Frost will deliver to the EU this week. Recent weeks have seen the UK threaten to “ditch” the protocol if the EU does not agree to changes.

On Tuesday, Frost is expected to tell listeners in Lisbon that London will invoke Article 16 of the Protocol if the EU refuses to budge. Such a move allows either party to unilaterally avoid implementing measures they deem harmful.

“The EU now needs to show ambition and willingness to tackle the fundamental issues at the heart of the Protocol head-on”, Frost will say.

He is also set to criticise the European Court of Justice’s role in overseeing the deal and accuse it of having “created a deep imbalance in the way the Protocol operates.” Reacting to this, Coveney asked on Twitter “Does UKG actually want an agreed way forward or a further breakdown in relations?”

The European Commission is expected to present a set of measures seeking to resolve the lingering issues surrounding post-Brexit trade on Wednesday. Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič has made it clear that the EU is not willing to renegotiate the protocol, however.

(Molly Killeen | EURACTIV.com)