Brexit: EU warns it will launch legal proceedings against UK

The European Union on Thursday, March 4 said that Britain’s “unilateral action” on trade rules will breach international law. Also, it is threatening the legal action as the post-Brexit tensions continue to escalate between the two. Following this, Brussels has warned that it will launch legal proceedings ‘very soon’. Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič in a statement said that the UK’s decision to unilaterally extend a grace period on checks for goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland is a ‘violation’ of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Grace period extended 

Šefčovič said, “This is the second time that the UK government is set to breach international law. This also constitutes a clear departure from the constructive approach that has prevailed up until now”. The anger was sparked when the British government extended a grace period until October to keep a check on the agri-food entering Northern Ireland. Initially, it was to expire by the end of this month. 

Read: Ireland Challenges Brexit Border Plan, Mulls Legal Recourse Amid Straining EU-UK Relations

According to the reports by AP, a UK government spokesperson said, “Lord Frost explained that the measures announced today, following official-level notification to the Commission earlier this week, were temporary technical steps, which largely continued measures already in place, to provide more time for businesses such as supermarkets and parcel operators to adapt to and implement the new requirements in the Protocol”.

Read: EU, Britain Clash Again In Latest Post-Brexit Spat

Earlier, it came forward that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)  of Northern Ireland were seeking legal action against the post-Brexit border plan, leader Arlene Foster said. The aim of the party was to challenge the Northern Ireland (NI) protocol, as the EU-UK struggles to find a trade balance with respect to the shipment of British goods to Northern Ireland. Cargoes transporting UK shipment to Northern Ireland have been imposed with severe checks as North shares a border with EU member-state Ireland, and the UK abandoned the EU's economic structures on Dec. 31 after Brexit.

Read: UK, EU Hold Meeting In London In Bid To Calm Post-Brexit Trade Turbulence

Also Read: EU's Coronavirus Vaccine Row Reignites Brexit's Dispute Over Irish Border