LAST UPDATE | 22 Jul 2022

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Simon Coveney has said that the EU were forced to launch new legal action against the UK Government for failing to comply with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

Four new infringement procedures were triggered by the European Commission as relations further soured today.

The EU argued it was forced to act because the UK has been unwilling to take part in “meaningful discussion” over the protocol since February.

It also struck out again at the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill that is making its way through Parliament.

In a tweet, Coveney said that there had been a “lack of any serious engagement” by the UK Government with the EU to resolve issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said that this left the bloc with “few options” but to bring forward new legal action against the UK.

“Honest negotiation can resolve these issues if political will exists,” he added.

The lack of any serious engagement by UK Govt with #EU to resolve NI Protocol issues has forced @EU_Commission to take further legal action.
This is not how EU want to proceed, but are left with few options.
Honest negotiation can resolve these issues if political will exists. https://t.co/s3g3Ji1aGp

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) July 22, 2022

The commission accused the UK of failing to comply with customs requirements and not imposing EU rules on VAT for e-commerce.

In a statement, the European Commission said: “Despite repeated calls by the European Parliament, the 27 EU Member States and the European Commission to implement the Protocol, the UK Government has failed to do so.

“In a spirit of constructive cooperation, the commission refrained from launching certain infringement procedures for over a year to create the space to look for joint solutions with the UK.

“However, the UK’s unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion since last February and the continued passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill through the UK Parliament go directly against this spirit.”

The latest action comes on top of the infringement procedures launched on June 15.

Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally