Recently, the lower house of the British Parliament passed a bill to unilaterally amend part of the "Northern Ireland Protocol", which has aroused the dissatisfaction of EU countries.
On 3 July, the foreign ministers of Germany and Ireland issued a "rare" joint statement denouncing Britain's intention to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol as a "unilateral breach of international agreements" and that "we urge the British government to step back, show a willingness to compromise and work together like a mutually respectful partner to reach consensus." ”
Screenshot of the website of the German Foreign Office
According to the full text of the statement posted on the website of the German Foreign Office, German Foreign Minister Annalina Babock and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Covney said British Prime Minister Johnson was determined to overturn the Northern Ireland Protocol he himself agreed to two years ago, which threatened to undermine the "rules-based international order".
The Ministers noted that the recent election of the Northern Ireland Parliament, which had produced a Parliament with a majority of MPs in favour of the Northern Ireland Protocol, demonstrated support for the current arrangement and that the EU had never and would continue to deal with trade issues between the Northern Ireland region and the United Kingdom in a "flexible and creative" manner.
According to the Guardian, the Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit deal, and the UK, in order to avoid setting up customs and borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland, has the only option to set up customs and borders between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which "effectively leaves the Northern Ireland region in the EU".
"Unfortunately, the British government has not chosen to participate in these initiatives in good faith," the foreign ministers wrote, "and instead of choosing partnership and dialogue, the British government has opted for unilateralism, unilaterally undermining international agreements signed only two years ago without any legal or political legitimacy." The bill submitted this month will not solve the problem, but rather will create a new set of problems that make the problem more complicated. ”
The foreign ministers stressed that during the difficult period of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the EU and the UNITED Kingdom must stand together as partners with shared values and a common commitment to maintain and strengthen the international order. "We urge the UK government to take a step back, show a willingness to compromise and work together like a respectful partner to reach consensus."
German Foreign Minister Annalina Baberk (data picture) Picture from foreign media
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney (data map) Picture from foreign media
The Observer pointed out that the joint statement of the foreign ministers of the two countries shows that there is coordination within the EU to support Ireland, while the new German Chancellor Schoelz is also tougher on the Brexit stance, and many legal experts also believe that Johnson's approach violates international law and will trigger a trade war with the EU under the impact of inflation.
On June 27, local time, the lower house of the British Parliament passed the bill proposed by the British government to unilaterally amend parts of the "Northern Ireland Protocol", so that the bill can be pushed to the next stage of the legislative process. The bill passed by 295 votes in favour and 221 against, but was met with fierce criticism from conservative and opposition MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May. Critics such as May argue that the plan to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol is illegal and has the potential to spark a trade war with the EU.
Anger in Ireland has been growing since the bill was announced. Ireland's deputy prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said in a July 1 interview with the BBC that the way the British government approaches Northern Ireland has the potential to lead to the disintegration of the UK and that "britain-ireland relations have never been worse".
On May 7 this year, Sinn Fein, which sought to break away from the United Kingdom, won the Northern Irish election, causing an uproar in British politics. Fearing northern Ireland's separation from the UK, Johnson made it clear on May 10 that the Northern Ireland Protocol was unsustainable. A month later, on June 13, the British government announced the relevant bill to try to amend the "Northern Ireland Protocol", and officially submitted it to Parliament, and on the 27th, the lower house of the British Parliament bill.
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