Iarrann Roth go gcuirfear prótacal na hÉireann i bhfeidhm go hiomlán chun an tsíocháin a chaomhnú agus an Margadh Aonair a chosaint

Ahead of today’s (23 February) meeting of European affairs ministers, Michael Roth, German minister for Europe said that UK and EU citizens and businesses had experienced difficulties because of the UK’s decision to rupture its ties, but hoped that together with the UK, the EU would see whether there is room for further improvements in the Trade and Co-operation Agreement’s application.

EU-UK relations European affairs ministers will assess the state of play of EU-UK relations for the first time since the signature of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) in December 2020. The EU and the UK agreed, on 24 December 2020, to provisionally apply the TCA and the Security of Information Agreement as of 1 January 2021, pending the EU ratification process and the official entry into force. The agreement provides for its time-limited provisional application until the end of February, ministers will agree to extend this to the end of April to allow for the European Parliament’s approval and legal scrubbing. 

In order to change the end date of the provisional application, a decision needs to be taken jointly in the EU-UK Partnership Council, the governance body established by the TCA, where the EU is represented by Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič. Once the new date is agreed upon, the Council will ask the European Parliament for its consent. When this has been granted, the Council will then be able to proceed to the final step, adopting the decision on the conclusion of the TCA.

Ministers will also take stock of the implementation of the withdrawal agreement. Here, the focus will be on the protocol on the Ireland/Northern Ireland. Roth made it clear that while there would be a period of adjustment, he would expect full implementation of the protocol: “It is the only way to achieve our main objectives, preserving the peace process in Ireland as well as protecting the integrity of our internal market.”

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