London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

EU rejects UK’s demand to scrap Northern Ireland protocol

Brussels repeats warning that renegotiation will mean more instability and insists Brexit protocol is ‘only solution we have’
European Union leaders have stressed they are not seeking a “political victory” over the UK as they pushed back sharply against demands that the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol be scrapped.

After a two-day trip to Northern Ireland, the European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, repeated his warning that a renegotiation would merely lead to more instability for businesses and communities.

“I will not mince my words. The protocol is not the problem. On the contrary, it is the only solution we have. Failing to apply it will not make problems disappear, but simply take away the tools to solve them,” he said.

Just hours after the Democratic Unionist party had threatened to collapse the Stormont assembly with elections nine months earlier than scheduled, Šefčovič said he had listened to the leaders of all parties and was “ready to explore all the flexibilities” being proposed but renegotiation was a non-starter.

“I do not need any political victory here. I want to find a solution that represents win-win, first of all for the people of Northern Ireland.

“I believe that if there is a good deal and a good cooperation, we can we can achieve it,” he said. “Can we do this [negotiation] faster? Let’s go for it,” he said.

But he urged politicians to “dial down the rhetoric” and give both sides calm space to work to ease tensions.

Under the protocol, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland observes EU rules on goods coming in from Great Britain, requiring businesses ranging from supermarkets to car parts suppliers to provide customs and other paperwork when taking goods across the Irish Sea.

Speaking to an audience at Queen’s University in Belfast, Šefčovič said he was “acutely” aware of the unionist unease with the protocol but that there was no alternative, given Boris Johnson’s government had opted for a hard Brexit.

“While we will continue looking for solutions to minimise the effects of Brexit on your everyday lives, we will never be able to remove them entirely – such are the consequences of Brexit and of the choices of the UK government,” he said.

“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.”

He was speaking just days after the Brexit minister, David Frost, said the UK preferred to keep the protocol but only if there were substantial changes with regards to the controversial checks on goods traded across the Irish Sea.

Šefčovič and Frost are the chief interlocutors in the continuing dispute over the protocol, agreed in a meeting with the then Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, at a hotel in Wirral in 2019.

But the protocol has caused deep unease in the unionist and loyalist communities who think that the checks on goods coming in from Great Britain are an assault on Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.

Šefčovič told reporters he had met the DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, “a couple of weeks ago” and found him to be “a very experienced politician”. But he said he shared Donaldson’s desire to achieve what’s best for Northern Ireland. “I can assure him that is my intention as well,” he said.

“I am, of course, acutely aware of how some in Northern Ireland feel about the protocol, in particular in the unionist community,” he told the audience at Queen’s.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
×