London and Brussels formally seal Northern Ireland compromise

The British government and the European Commission finally sealed the compromise reached at the end of February in the dispute over the Brexit rules for Northern Ireland.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic took the floor «Windsor frame» officially announced the agreement Friday at a meeting in London, the British news agency PA reported. Cleverly previously described the deal as “the best deal for Northern Ireland”.

The British House of Commons overwhelmingly approved the compromise on Wednesday. The European Council also approved the agreement this week. The agreement was launched in late February by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It aims to end the dispute over Brexit rules for the British provinces, the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol.

Both parties want to put the Brexit quarrels behind them and strengthen cooperation again. “I look forward to further effective cooperation with the EU on important issues such as security and energy,” Cleverly said. London also hopes to be included in the Horizon research and innovation programme. Also high on the UK’s agenda is the desire to work with the EU and its member states to halt illegal immigration across the English Channel.

Although London and Brussels now agree, the dispute in Northern Ireland is not yet over. Despite the improvements, the largest Protestant Unionist party, the DUP, continues to reject the protocol and is blocking the formation of a government in that part of the country. Prime Minister Sunak had initially hoped that the deal would also overcome DUP resistance.

(yam/sda/dpa)