Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

EU & Ireland join forces to harness pressure from US over Brexit

EU & Ireland join forces to harness pressure from US over Brexit

Brussels and Dublin will raise doubts about Britain’s commitment to the Brexit deal in Washington on Wednesday in a bid to heap pressure on the UK to back down in the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president, will brief the Friends of Ireland caucus of US Congressmen on Capitol Hill - AP

Brussels and Dublin will raise doubts about Britain’s commitment to the Brexit deal in Washington on Wednesday in a bid to heap pressure on the UK to back down in the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president, and Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign affairs minister, will brief the Friends of Ireland caucus of US Congressmen on Capitol Hill.

Brussels was infuriated by the UK’s unilateral decision to extend grace periods on food checks on goods exported from GB to Northern Ireland, which it says violates the terms of the Brexit treaty.
Mr Sefcovic and Mr Coveney will address an influential bipartisan group of Congress members, which played a key role in securing US support for the peace process, The Irish Times reported.

The meeting will be seen as a bid to maximise leverage over the UK, which hankers after a trade deal with the US to cement its post Brexit Global Britain agenda.

Joe Biden, the US president, said in September last year that any UK-US trade deal hinged on continued respect for the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Biden, who is proud of his Irish roots, made the comments after the UK threatened to override the Withdrawal Agreement, which prevents a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The briefing will take place a week before the annual St Patrick’s Day celebration.

Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, is expected to raise the latest Brexit developments during a call with Mr Biden, who is said to be unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement, next Wednesday.

Mr Sefcovic briefed EU ambassadors on the possible response to the UK unilateral action on Tuesday night in Brussels.

The commission is expected to launch legal action in the European Court of Justice, which retains jurisdiction over the Northern Ireland Protocol, “very soon”. It could also trigger enforcement measures in the Withdrawal Agreement, although no final decision was taken on Tuesday night.

EU ambassadors were said to have been angered by Lord Frost’s accusation the EU was still “sulking” over Brexit. They discussed continuing to deny access to the Single Market for the City of London to maximise leverage over Britain.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×