EU launches fresh legal action against UK over Northern Ireland border rules
The border arrangements, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, were designed to avoid checks at the UK's border with the Republic of Ireland.
They relate to an alleged failure to provide the EU with data about exports from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and implement agreed EU customs, VAT and alcohol excise rules.They come in addition to previous claims by the commission, alleging the UK had failed to properly share trade data and set up border inspection posts.
But it added that UK's "unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion since last February", as well as the bill to scrap parts of the protocol, "go directly against this spirit". Talks on how to fix problems with the protocol have stalled; UK legislation to override parts of the treaty has cleared the Commons; and Liz Truss, who introduced that bill, is - polls suggest - the current favourite to move into Downing Street."If the UK takes steps towards adopting the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, the EU isn't going to sit back and do nothing," one diplomat told me.
Sources here tell me that if it becomes law, and the UK does start unilaterally changing parts of the treaty, then Brussels could turn to trade sanctions.The legal steps could eventually lead to the UK being fined under a dispute process overseen by the European Court of Justice , the EU's top court.
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