Brexit: EU will respond 'very robustly' to any triggering of Article 16 - Coveney
Speaking about the state of negotiations between the EU and the UK on resolving the Article 16 Northern Ireland protocol row, Mr Coveney said the EU has made significant concessions. File Picture
The EU will respond “very robustly” to any triggering of Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said.
Talking about the likelihood of a trade war, Compromise on the role of the European Court of Justice is not possible, Mr Coveney added.
Speaking about the state of negotiations between the EU and the UK on resolving the Article 16 Northern Ireland protocol row, Mr Coveney said the EU has made significant concessions.
Mr Coveney said everybody knows the consequences. if the British government decides to trigger Article 16 and sets aside significant parts of the protocol that are important.
He said: “The EU will respond very robustly to that. That's not what we want And that is why there is a window now between now and Christmas, to try to get this resolved through negotiation and build as much consensus around how the protocol is implemented as possible in Northern Ireland,” he said.
However, he said it is self-evident that compromise on the ECJ is not possible as it is the final arbiter of the single market.
“I don't think [compromise is possible] because that's quite a black and white issue. What the EU is saying is that the court of the European Court of Justice has got to be the final arbiter on EU law and EU regulations. I think that's self-evident,” he said.
“And so elements of the protocol, rely on the implementation of EU law and EU regulations. I don't see how the EU can outsource the arbitration on EU rules and regulations to a court outside of the EU.
"I just don't think that's a realistic proposition. I think many understand that on the British side as well,” he added.
He said the EU a number of weeks ago, published a package that they said could reduce sanitary and phytosanitary checks on goods that are going to be on sale in Northern Ireland by up to 80%; to reduce the tax burden from a customer's perspective by 50% as well as to provide guarantees around the supply of medicines into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
“They were the three key issues that businesses and political leaders and civic leaders on the ground in Northern Ireland wanted addressed.
"So, as you would expect, Lord Frost wants more, and the EU is trying to go as far as they possibly can, within the confines of the protocol to respond to what are genuine concerns,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UK will have to safeguard its position “in other ways” if it is not able to reach an agreement with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, according to the UK’s Brexit negotiator.
David Frost had said there was “momentum” for his Government to “secure a solution based on consensus” following a meeting in Brussels with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic on Friday.
Writing in the , he said: “The current problems with the protocol go to the heart of our territorial integrity, of what it means to be one country and one market. They will not just disappear.
“I still hope the EU can show the ambition needed to fix the problem by agreement. If they can’t, of course we will have to safeguard our position in other ways.”
It comes hours after campaigners gathered at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland to warn the UK Government against triggering Article 16.
A crowd gathered at Carrickcarnon on Saturday to demand that the post-Brexit arrangements introduced for Northern Ireland are retained and protected.
Speculation has continued for months that the UK Government is preparing to trigger Article 16, which would suspend elements of the post-Brexit arrangements in place in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Protocol has been fiercely opposed by unionists and loyalists, who object to the creation of a trade barrier with Great Britain.
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