Northern Ireland Protocol: DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accuses EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic of dismissing unionist concerns

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has accused the European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic of dismissing the concerns of unionists over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
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Mr Sefcovic gave a speech on Friday in which he said any attempt to renegotiate the protocol would create instability in Northern Ireland and said the post-Brexit agreement needed to be implemented in full.

Speaking to the media, Sir Jeffrey responded: “The EU vice-president is of course entitled to his view and we understand that any solution that we need to find on addressing the enormous difficulties created by the protocol has to find a way of protecting the integrity of the EU single market.

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“But I think it’s unfortunate that Mr Sefcovic would be so dismissive of the real and genuine concerns that there are out there and I think that the meeting that we had yesterday with him was much more constructive and what I had to say yesterday reflects the concerns of many people in Northern Ireland.

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic is on a visit to Northern Ireland.European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic is on a visit to Northern Ireland.
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic is on a visit to Northern Ireland.

“It is not mere rhetoric, it is articulating the views and concerns of unionists.

“In the end, the agreement that we have, the political institutions that we have can only work if both unionists and nationalists support them so the EU needs to move, and quickly, to address the concerns of unionists.”

Mr Donaldson also said today that his threat to withdraw ministers from the Stormont Executive was an attempt to “focus minds” because negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol are “dragging on”.

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Asked about the ongoing discussions between the UK Government and the EU to resolve the difficulties of the protocol, Sir Jeffrey said: “These negotiations have been dragging on for months. The joint committee hasn’t succeeded in addressing the issues and the concerns about the harm that is being done on a daily basis to the economy in Northern Ireland.

“I felt it was time to focus minds on what needs to be done and it is the protocol that is causing the instability in Northern Ireland, both economically and politically. It has altered our status in constitutional terms without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland.”

Sir Jeffrey continued: “What we need to do now is to get down to brass tacks to start dealing with and addressing the difficulties that this protocol is causing.

“[Ulster University Economist] Dr Esmond Birnie recently stated that the cost to the Northern Ireland economy of the harm caused by the protocol is in the region of £850 million a year.

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“That is simply harm and damage that we can’t afford in Northern Ireland, so I hope that Maros Sefcovic and his team will continue to engage with us towards finding solutions. I am interested now in cutting through all of this to get to the solutions quickly.”

Earlier today the European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič, warned against any renegotiation of the Northern Ireland Protocol

He said that any attempt to renegotiate the post-Brexit agreement between the EU and the UK Government would cause “instability, uncertainty and unpredictability” in Northern Ireland.

Delivering a keynote speech at Queen’s University in Belfast, Mr Sefcovic also said that the Northern Ireland Protocol must be “properly implemented”, but said this would require compromises on both sides.

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He delivered his speech amid growing political tension over the protocol, after DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned that his party may quit Stormont if its demands are not met.

The protocol, part of the post-Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU, has created a trade border in the Irish Sea.

It has proved to be deeply unpopular with unionists, who have repeatedly called for it to be scrapped because they believe it undermines their position in the UK.

Delivering his speech, Mr Sefcovic said the EU had been “engaging constructively” with the UK Government to limit the impact of the protocol on everyday life in Northern Ireland.

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He added: “The EU and the UK must continue these discussions in order to reach an understanding.

“I believe that our focus should be on those issues that matter the most to the people of Northern Ireland, and not on requests, such as removing the role of the European Court of Justice.

“Doing this would effectively mean cutting Northern Ireland off the EU’s single market and related opportunities.

“Instead, let’s see what can be done to further ease the supply of goods.

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“And let’s see how to involve the people of Northern Ireland in our discussions on the implementation of the protocol.

“A renegotiation of the protocol – as the UK Government is suggesting – would mean instability, uncertainty and unpredictability in Northern Ireland.

“Bear in mind it has already taken us five years to get to this point.”

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