The United Kingdom (UK) has rejected proposals put forth by the European Union (EU) regarding the movement of medicines, livestock, and animal products to Northern Ireland, widening the rift over a post-Brexit trade deal.
The BBC reported that the Union published its proposals on Monday for simplifying some aspects of the Northern Ireland Protocol, including a plan to ensure a continued supply of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and another about animals and food.
Concerning medicines, a UK government spokesperson said, “The solution the EU has set out today remains the same as the one they sent to us in late June. The EU has not addressed the issues and concerns that we have raised with them.” The proposal suggested that “procedures such as inspections and quality controls may exceptionally be located in the UK, instead of the EU, provided the medicines are sold only in Northern Ireland.”
While rejecting the proposals, the UK stated that the plan’s implementation was complex and did not include medicines, which need to be licensed by the European Medicines Agency in Northern Ireland. Consequently, the UK has suggested removing medicines from the scope of the Protocol.
In addition, the BBC mentioned that, as per the current provision of the Protocol, animals from Northern Ireland that are taken to Great Britain for agricultural shows have to stay there for six months before being brought back. The EU proposal invalidates this requirement as long as the animals are brought back to Northern Ireland within 15 days and other animal health precautions are taken. Moreover, guide dogs can benefit from existing flexibility in the EU law, but it needs a proposal from the UK on how to put that into operation.
Last week, the EU rejected the UK government’s demand to renegotiate the post-Brexit trade deal. The Protocol finalised Britain’s exit from the EU, and it was signed and approved by the British Parliament in December 2020. The deal mandates checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Britain. Northern Ireland falls under the jurisdiction of the EU’s Customs Union to maintain the integrity of Europe’s single market and protect the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ that supports peace after decades of sectarian violence.
Earlier, the UK also threatened to extend the grace period of the Protocol until 2023, which Brussels rejected. Consequently, the European Commission initiated an infringement procedure against the UK government in March for breaching the Protocol by unilaterally extending the grace period on goods no longer allowed to be exported to Northern Ireland due to Brexit. Later, the EU agreed to the UK’s demand for a standstill period to discuss trade disputes and refused to continue with the infringement procedure. During the standstill period, the EU cannot pursue legal action, and the UK will refrain from making unilateral moves.
A Brussels spokesperson said, “To provide the necessary space to reflect on these issues and find durable solutions to the implementation of the Protocol, we have decided, at this stage, not to move to the next stage of the infringement procedure.” Moreover, the European Commission stated, “We confirm our readiness to continue to engage with the United Kingdom, also on the suggestions made in the Command Paper, and to consider any proposals that respect the principles of the protocol.”
The UK has welcomed the EU’s decision to agree to a standstill period on existing arrangements and hopes to engage with the Union in the coming weeks to work on the proposals. Both sides have until the end of September to sort out fundamental problems, with the grace period on chilled meats and other items expiring in September.