European Commission sues UK following plans on Northern Ireland protocol

The United Kingdom has sought to make changes to the Northern Ireland protocol especially concerning trade. The European Union has recently filed to legally challenge the UK over the proposed plan to scrap out certain post-Brexit rules over trade in Northern Ireland, along with another legal challenge that was previously stalled.

Reuters reports the European Commission has filed to sue the UK Wednesday, following the release of London’s plans to override some rules made after the UK’s exit from the EU concerning trade in Northern Ireland.

The proceedings could lead the European Court of Justice or ECJ to impose fines. However, this would likely take effect after more than a year.

“Let’s call a spade a spade. This is illegal,” said European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, who oversees the EU’s relations with the UK. Sefcovic said there is no justification for making a unilateral change to an international agreement.

Sefcovic added that this is coming at a time when international cooperation is of most importance, referring to the alliance against the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In the plan, the UK proposed removing certain custom checks on goods from the rest of the UK arriving in Northern Ireland, while challenging the role of the ECJ to decide on the parts of the post-Brexit agreement between the EU and the UK.

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London is disappointed by the legal challenge of the bloc.

The three legal challenges are not related to the UK’s new plans, but to the bloc’s belief that the UK has failed to implement the protocol that concerns trade with Northern Ireland.

The two other lawsuits allege that the UK has failed to ensure adequate staff and infrastructure to conduct checks in Northern Ireland and a failure to provide the EU with the needed trade data.

Sefcovic said Monday that the EU would not renegotiate with the UK for the Northern Ireland protocol following the proposal.

“Renegotiating the protocol is unrealistic…Any renegotiation would simply bring further legal uncertainty for people and businesses in Northern Ireland. For these reasons, the European Union will not renegotiate the protocol,” said Sefcovic in a statement.