Nov 07,2022:Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to work to resolve problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol – the post-Brexit trade deal, according to Sunak’s office.
Monday’s discussion at a meeting at the COP27 conference in Egypt came as Britain issued a fresh appeal to Brussels to end a delay in granting access to European Union scientific research, as agreed in the post-Brexit trade deal.
Sunak inherited from his predecessors the problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to prevent a return to violence in Ireland by avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Thus, although Northern Ireland remains part of Britain, it remains part of the EU’s trade bloc. But that means curtailment in its trade with the rest of Britain, which is vocally opposed by unionists who claim it cuts off the region from the rest of Britain.
The post-Brexit solution is cited as the Democratic Unionist Party’s main reason for refusing to return to power-sharing.
The instability in Northern Ireland has raised concerns in Dublin, Brussels and Washington and the row between Britain and the EU shows few signs of coming to a rapid conclusion, despite indications of a more positive tone from the British side in recent weeks.
