Northern Ireland

Taoiseach urges UK to re-engage with EU after legal action over protocol move

Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Taoiseach Micheál Martin Taoiseach Micheál Martin

TAOISEACH Micheál Martin last night urged the British government re-engage with the European Union after Brussels launched a fresh legal action aimed at thwarting UK plans to unilaterally scrap parts of the protocol.

The move came less than 48 hours after the publication of controversial Westminster legislation that will undo elements of the "oven ready" deal Boris Johnson agreed with EU just 18 months ago.

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said the British unilateral action had "no legal or political justification".

He confirmed a new legal action for alleged failures to implement the protocol, alongside the resumption of existing infringement proceedings which Brussels had paused.

Mr Sefcovic signalled that further measures could follow if the UK pressed ahead with the bill, which effectively rips up key parts of post-Brexit trade arrangements.

He the legislation was "extremely damaging to mutual trust and respect between the EU and the UK".

"It has created deep uncertainty and casts a shadow over our overall co-operation, all at a time when respect for international agreements has never been more important," he said.

Mr Martin said that while the EU had stepped up its response, he insisted there was still a route to resolution through negotiations.

"The only logical and rationale way forward, is in my view, to commence these negotiations between the UK government and the European Union and I would appeal to the UK government to engage in such negotiations," the Fianna Fáil leader said.

Sinn Féin's Declan Kearney said the EU's response was "inevitable" following the British government's "reckless unilateral actions", while his SDLP counterpart Matthew O'Toole described Brussels' response as "predictable".

Writing in The Irish News today, Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond said Downing Street was "blatantly ignoring the will of the people of Northern Ireland".

DUP MP Gavin Robinson accused the EU of being "vindictive", while former Ulster Unionist leader Lord Reg Empey said the EU action was "deeply disappointing".