The EU is giving the United Kingdom until the end of September to remove the provision that makes it possible to overrule parts of the so-called Northern Ireland protocol from the controversial ‘Brexit law’. Maros Sefcovic, who represents the EU when it comes to the implementation of the withdrawal agreement, announced this on Thursday.
Sefcovic calls on the British government to work on this as soon as possible or to have it completed by the end of this month at the latest. The bill presented Wednesday undermines parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. In doing so, the British violate international law.
The law, if passed, would give London the power to overrule parts of the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. This protocol was drawn up last year by the EU and the UK to avoid a hard border on the Irish island. Representatives from the United Kingdom and the European Union met earlier on Thursday for an emergency meeting.
“The EU does not support the argument that the bill is intended to protect the Good Friday Agreement. In fact, it does the exact opposite,” said an EU statement.
The British have damaged confidence, according to Sefcovic. “It is up to them to fix this,” the statement continues. The EU has threatened legal action if the British stick to the bill.
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