Despite the Brexit, the EU Commission wants to continue to enable the unhindered import of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Brussels / London – Despite Brexit, the EU Commission wants to continue to enable the unhindered import of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The Brussels authority announced on Friday. The EU countries and the EU Parliament still have to approve the proposals. The move is seen as an important step towards a solution to the Northern Ireland dispute with London.
Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland is still subject to the rules of the European internal market and the customs union. This avoids a hard border with the EU member Republic of Ireland, which would lead to new tensions in the former civil war area. However, this has created a goods border with the rest of the UK, and there are restrictions in intra-UK trade.
British Brexit representative David Frost welcomed the EU’s move, albeit with reservations. “The proposals could represent a constructive way forward and we are willing to look at them positively,” said Frost, according to a statement. However, they have not yet had the opportunity to analyze the texts more closely and come to a final assessment.
In other areas, however, there has been “much less progress” in the negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Overall, however, the pitch was far less sharp than it was a few weeks ago. Observers believe that this is related to the growing domestic political pressure that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration is under.
In an analysis on Friday, for example, political scientists Anand Menon and Alan Wager from the think tank “UK in a Changing Europe” argue that Brexit is no longer a means of catching voters in Great Britain. (dpa)
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