Statement following the announcement by the UK government regarding the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland

On 21 July, Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s co-chair of the Joint Committee and Partnership Council, issued a statement following today’s announcement by the UK government regarding the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland. The statement reaffirmed the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland as the joint solution that the EU found with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Lord David Frost, ratified by the UK Parliament, to address the unique challenges that Brexit, and the type of Brexit chosen by the British government, poses for the island of Ireland. It outlined EU efforts to find flexible, practical solutions to overcome the difficulties citizens in Northern Ireland are experiencing regarding the implementation of the Protocol. Vice-President Šefčovič made clear that the EU will continue to engage with the UK, also on the suggestions made by the UK, saying: “We are ready to continue to seek creative solutions, within the framework of the Protocol, in the interest of all communities in Northern Ireland. However, we will not agree to a renegotiation of the Protocol.” Read the full statement here.