Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

EU launches legal action against UK over Northern Ireland protocol

EU launches legal action against UK over Northern Ireland protocol

The European Union launched legal proceedings against the United Kingdom on Monday over London's unilateral attempts to extend the Brexit grace period on food imports to Northern Ireland.
The move comes after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis announced on March 3 that the UK planned to continue to bypass bureaucratic requirements on those imports until October 1.

A grace period on those checks is currently scheduled to expire at the end of March.

This three-month extension from the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1 was an agreed goodwill measure to allow the affected food industries to adapt to the new trade barriers across the Irish Sea.

A specific part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, called the Northern Ireland Protocol, aims to eliminate the need for border controls between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (an EU member).

The EU-UK trade deal, which went into effect at the start of 2021, demands customs checks on some goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the UK mainland, including food.

EU officials said they were blindsided by the UK's move to extend the grace period. Negotiators had been attempting to broke a compromise.

The EU's legal actions are twofold.

On Monday, the EU sent a letter to the UK to formally notify London of its alleged breach of the Withdrawal Agreement, a move that could potentially result in the UK being taken to an arbitration panel that may result in financial sanctions.

The formal notice "marks the beginning of a formal infringement process" as set out in the protocol, a senior EU official said, adding that the letter requests that the UK "carry out swift remedial actions to restore compliance with the terms of the protocol."

The second action -- another letter -- signals the deepening political fissure between the two parties, as it alleges that the UK has breached the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement.

European Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič sent the political letter to David Frost, co-chair of the joint committee, calling on the UK government to rectify and refrain from putting its proposed extension of the protocol into practice.

The letter called the UK's unilateral measures "a violation of the duty of good faith," and called on London to enter "bilateral consultations in the joint committee in good faith, in order to reach a mutually agreed solution as quickly as possible."

Stressing that those talks should begin by the end of March, the letter also issued a harsh rebuke of the UK's actions.

"... the UK must stop acting unilaterally and stop violating the rules it has signed up to," it added. "What we need in order to implement the protocol is mutual trust and this kind of unilateral action that we see from the UK, does not build trust."

The UK has denied breaching any protocol.

Earlier this month, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rebuffed claims of growing tensions between the bloc and the UK, saying he was sure "that with a bit of goodwill and common sense that all these technical problems are imminently solvable."

Yet one senior EU official said on Monday that the UK's move is "the second violation of international law on the same issue," referencing an October 2020 breach of the Brexit deal.

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney slammed the UK's extension of the grace period earlier this month, telling Irish national broadcaster RTÉ Radio on March 4 that the EU is "negotiating with a partner it simply can't trust."

The Northern Ireland Protocol has been a key point of contention throughout the Brexit talks, with Northern Ireland's Unionists, who are pro-British and pro-Brexit, opposed to the EU-UK trade deal that demands customs checks on some goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the UK mainland.

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster and her party, the Democratic Unionist Party, argue that the deal puts the future of union at risk.

Northern Ireland, plagued by a history of sectarian violence, is still divided by identity politics, with peacemakers concerned that the EU-UK spat might create a space for those grievances to breathe.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×