European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met in Windsor near London on February 27, 2023 to reach an agreement ending their dispute over post-Brexit controls in Northern Ireland. DAN KITWOOD/AP
After months of difficult negotiations, the UK government and the European Union have reached an agreement on post-Brexit controls in Northern Ireland, UK media reported on Monday (February 27), citing a UK government source.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are meeting in Windsor near London for what they call their “final” talks on the controversial dossier of tensions. They are to hold a joint press conference in the afternoon.
earlier in the day on twitterr, Ms von der Leyen said she was looking forward to “turning the page and starting a new chapter with our partner and friend”, the UK.
political blockade
Signed in 2020 and negotiated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson after Brexit, the Northern Ireland Protocol regulates the movement of goods between Northern Ireland, which has the only land border with the European Union, and the rest of the United Kingdom. This protocol sought to avoid a land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which threatened to weaken the peace reached in 1998 after three bloody decades, while protecting Europe’s internal market.
However, it posed practical problems, in particular in that goods from Britain arriving in Northern Ireland were subject to customs controls even if they were to remain in the British provinces.
The protocol has thus created tensions between the European Union and London, but has also become an internal issue for Rishi Sunak, who is facing opposition from Brexit hardliners and from Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) trade unionists, who are staunchly opposed to any Challenging Northern Ireland’s membership of the UK. The latter reject any factual application of European law in the British provinces and have blocked the work of the local executive for a year.
meeting the king
Before meeting Rishi Sunak, Ursula von der Leyen had asked King Karl III. met, an interview that has been criticized by some who lament the king’s involvement in such controversial political discussions.
“The King is delighted to meet any foreign leader when he visits the UK and it is the Government’s advice to do so,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.