Irish Sea Border Checks Deadline Arrives
Today is the deadline for the UK to respond to EU-imposed legal proceedings regarding the implementation of Irish Sea border checks.
Brussels made a legal inquiry against the UK following their failure to implement adequate border checks in the Irish Sea as part of the post-Brexit agreement. If approved, the bilateral agreement will establish a corridor for the transportation of merchandise from the UK to Northern Ireland and minimize cross border checks without eliminating them.
Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland is still in the EU single market. However, the UK’s reluctance to act upon Brussels’ demand brought worries about a potential fallout between London and Brussels.
Despite claims that the UK’s Prime Minister Liz Truss could trigger Article 16—allowing the parliament to make a unilateral decision that would tarnish relations with the EU— expect the EU and UK to solve the dilemma via diplomacy. Short-term, the EU will likely extend the deadline of the response upon request to a later day amidst national mourning of the Queen’s death—presumably mid-October. The new agreement will minimize customs checks while not eliminating it completely. Such trade disruptions may however increase the inflation rate in the UK long-term.
