Maros Sefcovic, the Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations, said that continuous British threats to withdraw post-Brexit trade regulations for Northern Ireland are very disruptive. He, therefore, warned that if such measures were cancelled, the entire arrangement with the UK would collapse. Mr Maros Sefcovic, who is in charge of talks with the United Kingdom and Switzerland, also said that triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol would have serious consequences for Northern Ireland’s economy, jeopardize regional peace, and be a great setback for EU-UK relations. If any party to the accord believes the protocol is causing severe economic, sociological, or environmental issues, Article 16 enables them to adopt unilateral safeguard measures like suspending trade inspections between the UK and Northern Ireland. It does not allow for the whole Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to be suspended. He also stated that the UK government’s constant threats to use the safety measure are a tremendously disruptive issue in discussions. He said that the Northern Ireland Protocol was the most challenging component of the Brexit discussions and is the cornerstone of the overall deal. That the system collapses without it, and that must be avoided at all costs.
Last month, the European Commission produced a penalties package that could be used to retaliate against Britain if Article 16 is activated, including hefty tariffs on British exports to the EU within one month or a nine-month suspension of the whole post-Brexit trade arrangement.
Source: Viewers Corner News.