BRUSSELS, April 15 — The ratification of the EU’s massive trade deal with Britain easily cleared a key hurdle in the European Parliament today, with MEPs demanding further reassurances on the thorny issue of Northern Ireland.
Meeting jointly, the trade and foreign affairs committees gave their approval with 108 votes in favour, one against and four abstentions, in a necessary step before a full session of parliament votes on the ratification of the deal.
The EU-UK trade pact has been provisionally applied since January 1, after nine months of tough negotiations and a last-minute handshake just before Christmas last year.
The UK parliament has ratified the deal. But European lawmakers were given until April 30th to have their say, with tensions simmering over the consequences of Brexit on Northern Ireland where violence has erupted.
Ties between the EU and UK have not improved since the deal was clinched, with several cross-Channel arguments, including over access to stocks of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19.
MEPs are concerned about a protocol included in the Brexit divorce deal designed to prevent the emergence of a “hard border” between Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom, and its EU neighbour, the Republic of Ireland.
They are linking the outcome of the border argument with their decision to carry out the trade deal’s final ratification, which needs to take place before the end of the month or risk sowing economic chaos.
Lawmakers said political group leaders will decide next week whether the ratification will go to a full vote in time.
“The impact of Brexit has definitely real life consequences and I think the flare-up of violence in Northern Ireland has made this abundantly clear,” said MEP Christian Hansen, who is leading the trade pact’s ratification.
“While the protocol of Northern Ireland is certainly part of the complex mix of reasons for the flare-up, it is up to the UK Government to own up to the agreement it has co-signed,” he added.
In order to set the vote, MEPs will be looking for a positive sign later on Wednesday when European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and UK Brexit minister David Frost meet in Brussels to discuss how to handle the protocol dispute. — AFP
