A conversation between EU Commission President von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Sunak was seen as a sign of a possible solution to the Northern Ireland dispute. But the Leyens’ visit to King Charles upset many.
Signs of a deal in the Brexit dispute between Britain and the EU are growing. EU ambassadors in Brussels have been summoned to a special meeting this Monday afternoon, as announced by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. There, the responsible vice-president of the EU Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, is expected to inform the ambassadors about the negotiations between the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak. The two politicians decided to continue working personally on practical solutions to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol.
Von der Leyen was upbeat on Twitter. She is looking forward to “opening a new chapter with our partner and friend,” wrote von der Leyen on Monday.
The meeting is expected to herald a settlement in the long-running dispute. The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit Treaty on Britain leaving the EU. It stipulates that the customs border between Great Britain and the EU runs in the Irish Sea. This prevented the introduction of border controls between British Northern Ireland and the EU member Republic of Ireland.
Dispute over visit to King Charles
Otherwise, the conflict over the unification of the two parts of Ireland was expected to flare up again. But the controls are also creating difficulties for intra-British trade, and Union-supporting Protestants in Northern Ireland feel isolated from Britain.
Von der Leyen and Sunak will appear before the press at 4.30 pm Central European Time, or so it was said on Monday afternoon. The President of the EU Commission will also meet King Charles. However, the visit is not directly related to the Northern Ireland negotiations. Former Brexit Ukip party leader Nigel Farage criticized the visit with the “unelected Urusla von der Leyen” as “absolutely disgraceful”.
Will Sunak bring DUP to his side?
Crucial to the success of a deal is therefore whether Sunak can get Northern Ireland’s largest unionist Protestant party, the DUP, behind him. In protest against the protocol, they have been blocking the formation of a government in the British part of the country for months and demanding drastic changes. The Leyens’ visit to King Charles is unlikely to go down well either. At least that’s what former party leader Arlene Foster said on Twitter on Monday: “I can’t believe the number 10 is asking His Majesty the King to interfere in the conclusion of such a controversial deal. This is blatant. and it will go down very badly on the NI.”
The hard core of Brexit supporters in the British Tory party and its predecessor, Boris Johnson, also warned Prime Minister Sunak against making too many concessions to the EU.
In various posts and interviews, Sunak has already prepared his party, his critics and the British people for the deal. “Brexit is not yet fully implemented and I want to get it over with,” Sunak said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“We need to make Brexit work for the whole of the UK,” he wrote in the conservative Telegraph. According to the newspaper, there is already resistance in his own cabinet and the Minister of Northern Ireland, Steve Baker, is already considering his resignation. In the Sun tabloid, Sunak assured readers that he would continue to champion Brexit despite his alleged commitment to the EU.
Northern Ireland: Close contact desired with both sides
Representatives from London and Brussels have been struggling to find solutions to the problems that have arisen since the Brexit Treaty took effect in 2020. Transition phases unilaterally imposed by London ensured that the necessary controls were still not fully implemented. While former Prime Minister Johnson and his short-term successor Liz Truss have threatened to unilaterally withdraw from the protocol, current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has struck a more constructive note.
The British Parliament must still be able to vote on the agreement negotiated with Brussels. The opposition Labor Party announced its support for the Conservative government.
(APA/dpa)