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The difficulties between the European Union and former member Britain are not due to issues with the Northern Ireland protocol, which both parties agreed to, but to Brexit itself, according to the president of the bloc’s executive.
At a press conference following the first day of an EU meeting in Brussels, Ursula von der Leyen said that all 27 EU member states agreed that there is no alternative to a complete and correct execution of the treaty.
“There should be no question that complete and accurate implementation of the protocol is the only option,” she stated.
“It’s critical to emphasise that the protocol is the only way to preserve peace and stability in Northern Ireland while also safeguarding the integrity of the European Union single market,” von der Leyen said.
“If we observe issues today, we must remember that they are not caused by the protocol, but rather by Brexit, which is why the difficulties exist.”
(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and John Chalmers)
Copyright 2021 Thomson Reuters.
