Brexit: EU warns of 'serious consequences' if UK triggers Article 16
Also: Will the UK trigger article 16 – and what will happen if it does? (The Guardian)
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Source: Euronews
Brexit: EU warns of 'serious consequences' if UK triggers Article 16
By Orlando Crowcroft • Updated: 05/11/2021 - 16:00
Europe’s top Brexit negotiator has warned of “serious consequences” if the UK makes good on its threat to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol amid an ongoing row with Brussels over how goods can be shipped between the territory and the UK mainland.
European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic told a press conference on Friday that while the EU had proposed a solution to the impasse which avoided trade delays between the UK and Northern Ireland and “cut red tape in half”, the UK had so far refused to engage.
In recent weeks, Boris Johnson’s government has said it may instead trigger Article 16, which would allow the UK to suspend current checks on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the mainland due to its impact on trade and the economy.
“Let there be no doubt that triggering Article 16 – to seek the renegotiation of the Protocol – would have serious consequences. Serious for Northern Ireland, as it would lead to instability and unpredictability,” Sefcovic said.
“And serious also for EU-UK relations in general, as it would mean a rejection of EU efforts to find a consensual solution to the implementation of the Protocol.”
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Read more: https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/05/brexit-eu-warns-of-serious-consequences-if-uk-triggers-article-16
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Source: The Guardian
Will the UK trigger article 16 – and what will happen if it does?
How likely is it that Britain will trigger the Northern Ireland protocol clause, and could it lead to a trade war?
Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent
@lisaocarroll
Fri 5 Nov 2021 09.36 GMT
Fears are growing that the UK will trigger article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, potentially rupturing the already strained relations with the EU. If talks with the EU collapse, it is expected just after Cop26 in seven days’ time.
On Wednesday Ireland’s prime minister heightened concerns that this was almost a racing certainty after his bluntest warning yet to the UK that such a move would be “reckless”, “irresponsible” and have “far-reaching consequences”.
What is article 16?
It is a clause in the Northern Ireland protocol, one of the key elements in the withdrawal agreement, which legally cemented the UK’s departure from the EU in January 2020.It allows either side to take steps, or “safeguards” in treaty-speak, if the protocol leads to “serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade”.
What is the test for triggering article 16?
The UK must prove that the protocol has given rise to “serious economic, societal or environmental” difficulties.
Lord Frost has repeatedly said the conditions to trigger it are met because of the obstruction to trade flow between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/05/will-the-uk-trigger-article-16-and-what-will-happen-if-it-does