Time.news – The ‘sausage war’ hovers over the top G7 at Carbis Bay: to stir the minds of the leaders of the Old Continent gathered in Cornwall is the dispute between the EU and the United Kingdom on the implementation of the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, as part of the agreement on Brexi. In the bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit between the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, as well as with the presidents of the EU Council and Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, it was reiterated the desire to find a compromise, but the positions remain firm.
The crux is the controls on certain types of goods – an example is the frozen meat, such as sausages – arriving from England, Scotland and Wales in Northern Ireland, which remained in the single market. A six-month grace period is running out and London has threatened to ignore the agreed rules. The Johnson government complains that controls are a heavy burden for British companies and a source of destabilization for the precarious balance in Northern Ireland. The British Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, attacked the EU, denouncing its “purist and obstinate” attitude when instead it should be “more pragmatic and flexible in the implementation” of the protocol. Bojo said he was ready to suspend the protocol for Northern Ireland, “if it continues to be applied in this way”. A position that has inflamed minds in Brussels, which has repeatedly invoked compliance with the commitments made.
The EU asks Bojo to respect his word
After the dry “nothing can be renegotiated” pronounced by Macron on the eve of the G7, the head of the Elysée has returned to exhort to “respect the word given to the Europeans”, in the bilateral agreement he had with Johnson in Carbis Bay. “We want the best possible relationship with the UK. Both sides must implement what we have agreed. There is complete EU unity on this,” emphasized von der Leyen. For her part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has launched an appeal to find “pragmatic solutions” to overcome the impasse.
During the meetings, BoJo emphasized the “desire for pragmatism and compromise from all sides “, reiterating the need for London to” maintain both sovereignty and territorial integrity “.” The UK is committed to finding practical solutions within the Protocol that protect Good Friday agreements and minimize the impact on the daily lives of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland, “he said.
In conclusion, Downing Street said, the leaders “agreed on the need to continue discussions to try to find a way out”. “All the options are on the table”, he added, reiterating the need for “urgent and innovative solutions”, which lead to “radical changes” with “pragmatic” measures. As it stands now, “the protocol has a detrimental impact on the population of Northern Ireland”.
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