BREACH OF THE BREXIT AGREEMENT: British Prime Minister Johnson on a collision course with the EU

Just one week after surviving a vote of no confidence in his parliamentary group, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sparked a new dispute with the EU. A bill introduced in the House of Commons on Monday seeks to unilaterally change the Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland agreed with Brussels. Criticism of the plans came from Brussels and Berlin, as well as from the Irish government in Dublin and the majority of members of the Northern Ireland regional parliament. The move, however, was welcomed by the unionist-Protestant DUP party in Northern Ireland. The law is necessary to ensure stability and peace in the formerly troubled province, said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. She added: "We remain open to discussions with the EU." However, progress can only be made if Brussels accepts changes to the agreement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol. London is threatening to stop the goods controls agreed in the protocol to protect the EU single market and replace them with a voluntary arrangement. Furthermore, the role of the European Court of Justice is to be drastically restricted. London also wants to give itself free rein over VAT regulations. According to many experts, this would be a clear breach of international law. However, the government in London denies this. EU Vice-President Maros Sefcovic made it clear that renegotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol is out of the question. "That would simply mean further legal uncertainty for the people and businesses in Northern Ireland," Sefcovic said Monday evening in Brussels. The EU Commission will now consider resuming the legal proceedings against London, which were initiated but then put on hold due to previous violations. The initiation of further infringement proceedings that could protect the European single market will also be examined. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this a very regrettable decision by the British government. There is no reason for this departure from the agreements between the EU and Great Britain, the SPD politician said after a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also accused the British government of unilaterally breaking agreements and thus destroying trust. "And doing so for transparent, personal motives," the Green Party politician wrote on Twitter. "Peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland are not a plaything," Baerbock added. The US government called on London and Brussels to return to talks "to resolve the differences," according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. #brexit #agreement #johnson The WELT News Livestream http://bit.ly/2fwuMPg Subscribe to the WELT YouTube Channel http://bit.ly/WeltVideoTVabo Top news on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2rQQD9Q Our reports & documentaries http://bit.ly/WELTdokus The media library on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2Iydxv8 WELT News Channel on Instagram https://bit.ly/IGWELTTV WELT on Instagram http://bit.ly/2X1M7Hk On a personal note: Due to the high volume of irrelevant and offensive posts, we are currently unable to accept any more comments. Thank you for your understanding - the WELT Team