UK and Northern Ireland Trade Dispute still Far From Truce

On Saturday, UK said despite constructive talks with the European Union regarding Northern Ireland’s trade rule, differences still pose a challenge to move forward.

The trade of goods between both countries undergoes extensive custom checks as a part of its deal prior to Brexit. The UK and European Union have not yet agreed on the implementation of customs checks and safety checks on products such as meat, dairy and medical supplies.

Britain has also raised concern of the policing conducted by European Union’s Supreme Court on the matter. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “The talks this week were constructive and we’ve heard some things from the EU that we can work with – but the reality is that we are still far apart on the big issues, especially governance. Whether we are able to establish that momentum soon will help us determine if we can bridge the gap or if we need to use Article 16.”

It is expected that talks will continue in Brussels next week as negotiators from EU will meet with Brexit minister David Frost and EU Vice President Maros Sefcovic by the end of the week. Thomas Byrne has indicated that issue could be close to being resolved in the coming weeks.

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