EUROPEAN UNION LAUNCHES BREXIT LEGAL ACTION AGAINST UK

Mon 15 March 2021:

The European Union on Monday launched legal action against the United Kingdom over the latter’s alleged breaches of trading arrangements covering the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice-president for interinstitutional relations and foresight, said.

In a press release, Sefcovic alleged that the United Kingdom had breached the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, the regulations in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement covering the movement of goods on the island of Ireland.

“Unilateral decisions and international law violations by the UK defeat its very purpose and undermine trust between us. The UK must properly implement it if we are to achieve our objectives. That is why we are launching legal action today,” Sefcovic said.

Last week, the UK government moved to unilaterally extend grace periods for sea border checks on goods traveling to and from Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. The grace period for products of animal origin, which allow for lighter checks on goods, were set to expire on April 1.