The European Union has taken legal action against the United Kingdom in its efforts to pass laws that would violate portions of the legally binding divorce deal signed by both parties at the end of last year.
EU intervention on Thursday underscored the deteriorating ties with Britain, which was a part of the bloc until 31 January. Both sides are seeking to forge a rudimentary free trade deal by the end of the year, but this month’s battle over the divisive UK internal market bill has stifled ties.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the UK proposal “is, by its very existence, a violation of the responsibility of good faith set out in the withdrawal agreement.”
“If accepted as is, it would be incomplete contravention of the Irish-Northern Ireland Protocol” in the withdrawal agreement.
The EU had given London until Wednesday to remove the measure, but instead, on Tuesday, UK lawmakers voted 340-256 to drive the law past its last big House of Commons barrier. It must therefore be accepted by the House of Lords, where there is no question that it would meet with strong resistance since it breaks international law.
Around the same time, EU and UK negotiators have resumed discussions on a trade agreement, engaging in comprehensive agreements over anything from fishing rights, state assistance laws to legal monitoring in the event of conflicts.
Imminent divorce
The UK internal competition bill is also complicating matters further. If it becomes law, it would grant the United Kingdom the right to violate part of the breeze withdrawal treaties dealing with trade to and from Northern Ireland, which shares a 300-mile (480-km) boundary with Ireland.
EU leaders warn that this could lead to the re-establishment of a hard land boundary and weaken the security that has underpinned peace since the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Deal.
The United Kingdom insists that it supports the peace agreement and the suspension withdrawal agreement, but wants the statute to be a ‘safety net’ in the event that the EU makes unreasonably unfair post-Brexit requests that might disrupt trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s broad parliamentary majority meant that the bill passed its final vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday night, amid minority parties and even some members of the ruling Conservative Party.
Britain said it wants a free trade agreement along the lines that the EU has with Canada, allowing commodities to be exported without tariffs or quotas.
The EU argues that if the UK needs entry to EU markets, it must agree with the requirements that EU businesses have to adhere by because Britain is too close to encourage undercutting laws that would encourage the so-called ‘dumping’ of UK goods at rates lower than in the EU.
