Irish Examiner view: Ramification of ditching Northern Ireland Protocol is huge

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic has unveiled proposals covering the flow of medicines, the movement of agri-food products, reductions in customs formalities, and an enhanced oversight role for business in Northern Ireland.

Short of caving in to all of the UK’s demands, the EU has offered a generous and far-reaching solution to the most contentious aspects of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Its intention is to make the operation of the protocol easier for businesses in Britain and the North. It has also told British negotiator David Frost that the EU is open to adopting ideas from the British if they are better.

Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, signed up to the protocol in 2020 as part of the Brexit agreement, but has since argued it was agreed in haste and was no longer working for the people of the North. However, European Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič has unveiled proposals covering the flow of medicines, the movement of agri-food products, reductions in customs formalities, and an enhanced oversight role for business in Northern Ireland.