{"id":23955,"date":"2021-11-11T12:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T17:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23955"},"modified":"2021-11-13T09:50:31","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T14:50:31","slug":"irish-government-discusses-uk-article-16-threat-with-biden-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23955","title":{"rendered":"Irish Government Discusses UK Article 16 Threat With Biden Administration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Foreign Minister Simon Coveney (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Government held high level discussions this week with the Biden administration over UK plans to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Brexit Minister Lord David Frost appeared to row back on a threat to trigger the clause in the Brexit deal on Wednesday, which would effectively suspend elements of the arrangements that prevent a hard border in Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it was \u201cnot inevitable\u201d that the British government would invoke the clause, but warned it would be the UK\u2019s only option if the dispute was not resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Coveney said contact with the US government on the issue was designed to \u201cencourage progress\u201d in negotiations between Lord Frost and his EU counterpart, European Commission vice-President Maros Sefcovic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been speaking to the Biden administration directly\u201d Mr Coveney told the D\u00e1il on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got a chance to speak to one of his most senior advisors this week, and also speaking to members of Congress in Cop, Brendan Boyle and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I think the main focus here is to try to encourage progress in the vice-President Sefcovic\/Lord Frost discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he had been encouraged by Lord Frost\u2019s statement that the UK could be convinced not to take the \u201cnegative retrograde\u201d step of triggering Article 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cListening to what he had to say yesterday in the House of Lords, I think there is still some time to try to ensure that negotiations and partnership can work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will continue to focus on those efforts, to do everything we can to dissuade the British Government from triggering Article 16, which I believe would be a really serious negative and retrograde step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord Frost is to meet with Mr Sefcovic on Friday for further talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Coveney said he will meet with the vice president on Tuesday, and is hoping to hold \u201cdirect discussions\u201d with Lord Frost at some stage next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU has made clear that the trade deal struck with the UK post-Brexit was dependent on the implementation of the protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A move to suspend it could see the EU scrap the agreement, which could result in a trade war between the bloc and the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Irish Government has begun reactivating no-deal contingency planning in preparation for a potential unravelling of the Brexit deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talks between London and Brussels over the contentious protocol remain deadlocked and there is growing speculation that the UK is poised to trigger Article 16 in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK government has set a December deadline for a resolution in talks on the protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrangement effectively keeps the North inside the EU\u2019s single market for goods, resulting in some checks for products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Lord Frost have argued the EU\u2019s interpretation of the deal has led to difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU has presented a package it believes will eliminate the need for 80 per cent of checks, but the UK has insisted the oversight role of the European Court of Justice is removed, a move Brussels firmly rejects.<\/p>\n

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