The European Union has vowed to take legal action against the United Kingdom (UK) over its decision to extend the grace period on food controls between Britain and Northern Ireland, a move the EU considers “a violation” of the Brexit trade agreement.
In a statement, European Commission Vice-President, Maroš Šefčovič expressed his “strong concerns” about this “unilateral action” by the British government which, he called “a clear departure from the constructive approach that has prevailed up until now”.
“Vice-President Šefčovič has expressed the EU’s strong concerns over the UK’s unilateral action, as this amounts to a violation of the relevant substantive provisions of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and the good faith obligation under the Withdrawal Agreement.”
“This is the second time that the UK government is set to breach international law. This also constitutes a clear departure from the constructive approach that has prevailed up until now, thereby undermining both the work of the Joint Committee and the mutual trust necessary for solution-oriented cooperation”.
EU Statement
During the Brexit negotiations, the fate of Northern Ireland was one of the most contentious issues between the EU and the UK. Britain ultimately agreed to leave the country aligned with the EU’s single market for goods which meant that some items arriving in Northern Ireland from the UK will require checks.
According to the UK, this has already caused difficulty for businesses as they have had problems bringing in supplies and this is expected to intensify with more checks coming into force when a grace period ends on March 31.
The British government as a result moved to unilaterally extend the grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland on Wednesday, 4th March.
EU sets jobs, training and equality targets for 2030
The European Commission also announced goals for the 27-nation bloc to reduce poverty, inequality and boost training and jobs by 2030, as part of a post-pandemic economic overhaul.
The commission said the EU should boost employment to 78% in 2030 from 73% in 2019, halve the gap between the number of employed women and men and cut the number of young people neither working nor studying to 9% from 12.6% in 2019.
“With unemployment and inequalities expected to increase as a fallout of the pandemic, focusing our policy efforts on quality job creation, up- and reskilling and reducing poverty and exclusion is therefore essential to channel our resources where they are most needed.”
European Commission
The goals also include a 20% increase in the number of adults getting training every year to adapt to the EU’s transition to a greener and more digitalised economy, and a reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 15 million, over the next 10 years.
The commission acknowledged that “these three 2030 headline targets are deemed ambitious and realistic at the same time.”
The goals are part of the EU’s set of 20 social rights, agreed on in 2017, to make the EU more “appealing” to voters and “counter Eurosceptic sentiment” across the bloc.
The social rights includes everybody having the right to quality education throughout their lives and that men and women must have equal opportunities in all areas and be paid the same for work of equal value.
Also, the unemployed have the right to “personalised, continuous and consistent support”, while workers have the right “to fair wages that provide for a decent standard of living.”
The Commission’s proposed goals will have to be endorsed by EU leaders and is expected to be financed by jointly borrowed funds.
