EU slaps UK with 4 new legal cases for breaching Northern Ireland Protocol of Brexit deal

In a stern response to the UK allegedly breaching post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, the European Union (EU) on Friday launched 4 new legal actions against London. The latest expansion of diplomatic spat between both parties came after the UK reportedly failed to implement the customs and tax rules as agreed in the 2019 deal, signed between UK PM Boris Johnson and European Commission.  The additional charges come atop 3 other allegations against the UK, including London trying to tweak or scrap some more of the border trade arrangements with Northern Ireland.

The hearings on the motion are ongoing at the European court of justice. Meanwhile, the latest 4 actions, which cite failure to enforce EU customs and VAT, came after the UK House of Commons passed the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill at its third reading, tearing down incumbent provisions of the agreement. Reportedly, the EU's objections go beyond the fact that the Bill was not consulted before being almost approved by the British Parliament.

What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

The Northern Ireland Protocol came into existence on January 1, 2021, after days of comprehensive negotiation between the UK and EU to establish a cordial post-Brexit relationship between Ireland, the commission, and London. The addition to the Brexit withdrawal agreement is governed by carefully formulated customs and immigration rules at the borders between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The agreement remained mired in controversy ever since it came into force, as it divided from the common EU rules both countries adhered to earlier.

Now, the protocol works in a way that allows goods and commodities to be checked between the NI border and Great Britain, instead of being checked at the Irish borders. The ideal places are - England, Scotland, and Wales. What the UK has now proposed is- the goods are to be split in two ways, green lane and red lane. Goods for NI would take the green lane and not be checked, while goods for the Republic of Ireland and EU will be moving through the Red Lane, undergoing usual checks at aforementioned ports.

EU takes action; UK retorts

Notably, the EU court can slap multi-million euro fines on a daily basis on the UK for breaching Brexit rules. This will be the first time for the 27-nation bloc to take action through a provision under the exit agreements. However, the EU on Friday offered London two months spare to respond to the EU's complaints and implement the agreed customs, VATs, and excise duties and comply with the decided border inspection rules. The EU in a statement said the measure is to "secure compliance" of the UK with the agreed border arrangements in line with the "spirit of constructive cooperation," BBC reported.

Meanwhile, the UK government spokesperson responded to the lawsuits saying: "It is disappointing that the EU has chosen to bring forward further legal action, particularly on goods leaving Northern Ireland for Great Britain which self-evidently present no risk to the EU single market," BBC reported. Criticising the legal dispute, the spokesperson promised to review the EU's arguments and "respond in due course."

(Image: AP)