Barry Andrews MEP has reacted to the European Commission’s new package of proposals, aimed at resolving issues surrounding the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Barry Andrews MEP, who was recently appointed to the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, said;
This positive contribution from the Commission is very welcome, as it puts forward practical solutions to the problems people in Northern Ireland have been experiencing since the end of the Brexit transition period.
Yesterday, Lord Frost committed to consider this package “fully, seriously and positively”. I sincerely hope these comments were genuine and that this will herald in a new era of constructive engagement that puts the concerns of the people of Northern Ireland front and centre.
MEP Andrews has gathered the co-signatures of fellow MEPs in addressing a letter to the Commission Vice-President Maroą ©efčovič with proposals relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol;
“This submission was shared with Vice-President Maroą ©efčovič last week, and pulled together a series of constructive proposals, aimed at addressing the issue of NI representation. The Commission’s proposals in this area are particularly significant, as they clearly recognise the degree of legal consequence of the Protocol, and provide the opportunity for direct dialogue between representatives in Belfast and Brussels. I fully support the establishment of a sub-structure within the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly dedicated to this dialogue. In fact, this was one of the suggestions put forward in my letter.”
Barry Andrews MEP, a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade said;
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland was negotiated, signed and ratified between the EU and the UK, and is the only solution to the kind of Brexit chosen by Prime Minister Johnson. We have a shared responsibility to jointly explore all solutions within the framework of the Protocol, to ensure its full implementation, so that it delivers peace and prosperity for all communities in Northern Ireland.
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