LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2022) UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was seeking a "pragmatic" approach from the European Union to solve the problems caused by the Northern Ireland post-Brexit protocol as she prepared for her first face-to-face meeting with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic at her official country residence later on Thursday.
"There is a deal to be done that protects peace in Northern Ireland, defends our Union, and maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom and EU. But it will require a pragmatic approach from the EU," Truss, who assumed responsibility for the negotiations following David Frost's resignation last month, said ahead of the two-day meeting at Chevening House, in Kent.
As part of the Brexit agreement that came into force on January 1, 2021, there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but under the protocol all goods and animal-based products coming from the rest of the British territories must be checked upon arrival to see if they comply with EU sanitary regulations.
The UK government has argued that the protocol is not working, as it causes delays and interruptions to goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and irritates loyalists to the British crown who believe their place within the union could be affected, thus threatening the so-called Good Friday Agreement that in 1998 put an end to 30 years of bloody armed conflicts.
In October, the EU offered to cut checks on food, plants and animal products by 80% and paperwork for transport companies by half, but London is pushing for renegotiating the whole protocol.
"The EU has a clear responsibility to help fix the myriad problems caused by the Protocol and protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. As fellow believers in liberty and democracy, we should be capable of reaching an agreement that delivers for Northern Ireland and allows us to unleash the full potential of our relationship," Truss said.
The fresh round of talks will be spread across three main sessions, and will include a welcome dinner on Thursday evening. The UK foreign minister is expected to give a short statement to pooled broadcast media following the meeting on Friday.
