THE PRESIDENT of the European Parliament believes the protocol is a “powerful incentive to attract investment” into Northern Ireland, while stressing that Brussels stands “ready to resolve” outstanding areas of contention.
But Roberta Metsola urged the British government to “refrain from unilateral actions”, saying Western unity was especially important in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Speaking to The Irish News in Strasbourg, the Maltese MEP said the protocol meant Northern Ireland was a “unique marketplace to invest in”.
“It has free access to the EU Single Market for goods produced in Northern Ireland and is guaranteed continued access to EU energy markets,” she said.
“At the same time, Northern Ireland is part of the UK internal market and benefits from UK free trade agreements.”
Her comments came amid speculation that the British will today table controversial legislation that aims to unilaterally override aspects of the protocol, which formed part of the withdrawal deal it agreed with Brussels in 2019.
President Metsola said the north's bespoke post-Brexit trading arrangements gave its businesses “access to more than 500 million consumers”, which she described as a “powerful incentive to attract investment”.
She said the protocol reflected the “delicate balance needed to address the unique challenges on the island of Ireland”, which included protecting the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement “in all its dimensions” and avoiding a hard border.
The European Parliament president said the war in Ukraine had demonstrated that the EU and the UK were “strong partners and allies”.
“Unquestionably, it is in both our interest to maintain a close and lasting cooperation in addressing common challenges,” she said.
“For this, we need trust and compliance with the agreements we have concluded jointly.”
She described the proposals put forward by the EU in October to help resolve difficulties around the protocol as a “far-reaching package”.
“We must refrain from unilateral actions that could undermine our partnership, especially at a time when Western unity is essential,” she said.
“If points of contention remain, we as the EU continue to stand ready to resolve these jointly and within the protocol.”
President Metsola said the EU, including the European Parliament, attached great importance to “listening to and engaging with the entire community in Northern Ireland”.
“And we remain fully committed to do so – especially we as parliamentarians have an important role and duty to keep the dialogue open,” she said.
Asked about representation in the European Parliament for Irish citizens living north of the border, she said: “Of course, all Irish citizens, regardless of where they live, are already represented in the European Parliament with the Irish Members of the European Parliament.
“We have a parliamentary dialogue with the UK through our EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, which is another platform for exchange for representatives of Northern Ireland.”
On the EU’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she said Brussels’ response had been “united and resolute”.
“It has given a strong response to Putin’s unacceptable aggression,” she said.
“We have taken historical and unprecedented measures to support Ukraine from day one.”
Mrs Metsola cited EU countries welcoming millions Ukrainian refugees alongside the provision of financial and humanitarian aid and the approval of sanctions against President Putin and “those that support him”.
“Putin miscalculated our unity, as much as he miscalculated the Ukrainian resistance,” she said.
“The EU has never been stronger – we have never had such a determined sense of direction as we do today.
“We have never had such a sense of purpose to collectively address war on our continent, and we have never been more determined to stand up for European fundamental rights of democracy, freedom and equality.”
