‘Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’
The chair of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly has welcomed media reports that a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be struck as early as next week. Deputy Brendan Smith, however, remains cautious: “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
With negotiations over the Protocol entering a crucial final phase, the Cavan Monaghan TD welcomed that talks certainly appear to be heading in a more progressive direction than under the previous Westminister administrations of Boris Johnston and Liz Truss.
“The European Union were always interested in dealing with these issues, interested in meaningful negotiations on what needed to happen. What I will say is, this government, led by [Rishi] Sunak, certainly seems to be giving a greater leadership in response to those negotiations than has been evident before,” remarked Deputy Smyth.
Mr Sunak is set to meet with EU leaders later this week. A breakthrough would potentially see the UK agreeing to scrap the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, currently stalled in the House of Lords. It would immediately be met with legal action from Brussels were it to see the light of day.
“From what I gather, the negotiations and discussions have been businesslike and both sides have put a huge effort into dealing with the substantive outstanding issues,” said Deputy Smith of chatter taking place in political back-channels. “Regarding what the headlines are saying, while I’d love to see that be true, it always comes down to the finer detail and the final negotiation is agreed. As we know from the past, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
Crucial among many points to be agreed is one that will influence checks and the movement of food and livestock, with the creation of red and green lanes at Northern Irish ports to differentiate between goods remaining in the region, and those set to move south and into the EU’s single market.
The EU is especially keen on some level of paperwork that will enable officials to trace goods that may end up south of the border from Northern Ireland or for sale at a later stage on the continent.
“We need to minimise as much as possible the delays and bureaucracy. Everyone wants to see that happen. At the same time, we still need to protect the integrity of the product, as well as the integrity of the market, be it the European market or the British market. If there is a clear willingness, I believe we can get other the obstacles that stand in the way of making that happen.”