The foreign ministers of Germany and Ireland condemned the British government's proposed bill to amend the "Northern Ireland Protocol" on the 3rd for unilaterally undermining the "Brexit" agreement.
The British " Observer " published a joint commentary article by German Foreign Minister Annalena Bell Burke and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on the 3rd. The article wrote that Britain's unilateral destruction of an international agreement signed just two years ago has no legal or political rationality. The protocol amendment bill proposed by the British government not only fails to solve the problem, but will create a series of new uncertainties and further complicate the problem.
File photo of German Foreign Minister Annalena Berberk
"Unfortunately, the British government did not choose to accept these suggestions with sincerity. The UK did not take the path of cooperation and dialogue, but chose unilateralism." The article said .
The United Kingdom and the European Union signed the "Brexit" Agreement in 2019. In addition to stipulating the rules that the economic and trade cooperation between the two parties should follow after the United Kingdom withdraws from the European single market and customs union, it also signed the "Northern Ireland Protocol" and agreed that Northern Ireland would remain a member of the European Union. The cross-border flow of people and goods between China and Ireland is smooth, there are no border inspection facilities, and it continues to follow EU economic and trade rules to safeguard the achievements of the 1998 Northern Ireland Peace Agreement.
File photo of Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney
However, in order to prevent goods from other parts of the UK from bypassing EU supervision and flowing into the EU market through Northern Ireland, the protocol stipulates that when goods from England, Scotland and Wales are shipped into Northern Ireland, Must undergo border inspection. Opponents believe that this means the establishment of a customs border in the Irish Sea between the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland.
The British government initially made compromises to reach a "Brexit" agreement, but after achieving "Brexit", it continued to express "regret". Despite repeated warnings from the EU, the British government formally proposed a bill to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol earlier in June for consideration by Parliament. The lower house of parliament passed the bill on second reading on June 27 and is scheduled to discuss it again on July 13.
CCTV News Client Screenshot
Column Editor: Zhang Wu Text Editor: Lu Xiaochuan Source of title picture: Tuchong Creative Picture Editor: Yong Kai
Source: Author: CCTV News Client
