Ireland: Prime Minister Michael Martin moderately invites the European Union and Britain

Ahead of the crisis meeting between EU Vice President Maros Shefkovic and British Foreign Secretary Michael Cove, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin has now called for a compromise. The head of government told the Irish broadcaster RTE on Thursday that both sides should “reduce their rhetoric”.

Chefkovic and Cove exchanged their arguments in a sharp tone by letter before they wanted to talk about special rules and tensions in Northern Ireland in London that evening. “There are elements that the British government can clarify, but there are also elements on the European side. I would say some member states should be quiet, ”Martin said.

The European Union has called for strict implementation of the Brexit agreements

The European Union (EU) has accused Great Britain of violating the Brexit agreement. For example, Chefkovic criticized the non-compliance of agreements restricting the movement of goods and people between Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom.

The British side wants to actively support the relaxation of the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol in order to prevent adverse effects on the economy. In his letter, Cove called for significant long-term change – otherwise threatened “in all possible ways”.

The Northern Ireland Protocol states that the island will be a common economic region and that Northern Ireland – unlike the rest of the UK – will abide by the rules of the EU Internal Market and Customs Union.

Katie Howard, a Brexit expert and Northern Irish conflict researcher, expects compromises before Shefkovic and Cove speak. “Northern Ireland is a weak spot, very carefully balanced,” Howard told the DPA news agency from Queen’s University in Belfast. There is a great deal of unheard of in London and Brussels in Northern Ireland and a great deal of reliance on results.