European Commission - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on European Commission at Lokmat Times

London, Nov 13 The UK and the European Union (EU) will have further talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol next week as recent weeks' negotiation failed to narrow their significant gaps, a British government spokesperson has said.The spokesperson's comment came after the meeting between British Brexit Minister David Frost and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in London earlier on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported."Lord Frost noted that there remained significant gaps to be bridged between the UK and EU positions. He noted that... it remained the UK's preference to find a consensual way forward, but that Article 16 safeguards were a legitimate part of the protocol's provisions," the spokesperson said.The Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol provides both Britain and the EU with a unilateral power to take action should the application of the protocol give rise to "serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade."Frost also underlined the need to address the full range of issues Britain had identified in the course of discussions, if a comprehensive and durable solution was to be found that supported the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and was in the best interests of Northern Ireland, according to the spokesperson.The spokesperson said the talks had been constructive so far, but new energy needs to be brought in to make progress.Intensified talks will take place between teams in Brussels next week on all issues, giving particular attention to medicines and customs issues, the spokesperson said.Britain and the EU view changing the protocol as a long-term solution to post-Brexit trade disruption in Northern Ireland. Britain outlined its proposals in a government paper in July, which observers interpreted as a renegotiation of the protocol.In response, the EU published its own package to facilitate the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, including cutting customs formalities, simplified certification, and an 80 percent reduction of checks on retail goods for Northern Ireland's consumers.It said it would guarantee an uninterrupted supply of medicine to the people of Northern Ireland, by changing EU rules.However, the two sides remain poles apart on the more challenging issue of the oversight role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

European CommissionFOLLOW

European commission, Latest News

San Francisco, Nov 27 A major coalition of European Union (EU) software and cloud organisations called Nextcloud has ... ...

Brussels, Nov 27 The European Union will not renew its mandatory approval system for Covid-19 vaccine exports when ... ...

Switzerland's national airline told Sputnik on Friday that it continues flying to and from South Africa despite concerns in Europe over the emergence of a new coronavirus variant. ...

Brussels, Nov 26 A complete vaccination against Covid-19 will grant the European Union (EU) citizens free movement within ... ...

The European Commission said on Tuesday it proposed to create a legal framework in the EU to counter the use of migrants for political purposes. ...

UK's Brexit minister David Frost said on Friday that the UK government remains prepared to trigger the article in the withdrawal agreement that allows London and Brussels to temporarily abandon commitments, if current controversy over the implementat ...

Kiev, Nov 19 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country stands ready to reduce the cost of ... ...

London, Nov 13 The UK and the European Union (EU) will have further talks on the Northern Ireland ... ...