The EU has offered to cut 80% of checks on some goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in an effort to avoid a post-Brexit trade clash.
It has drawn up plans designed to ease the flow of items across the Irish Sea, including chilled meats, to put an end to the so-called “sausage war”.
The plans have been published a day after the UK’s Brexit minister Lord Frost demanded a new Northern Ireland Protocol – which is designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
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‘Be flexible, find compromises’ for NI protocol
Lord Frost’s opposite number in the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, called the proposals “far-reaching” as he published four papers that officials will tonight take to London to begin negotiations immediately.
Under the plans, the transport of certain foods and items of animal origin will be vastly simplified.
Mr Sefcovic said in practical terms it would mean a lorry carrying a mixture of dairy, fish and confectionary would only require one certificate instead of multiple certificates for each item.
The number of physical checks on lorries will be drastically reduced and customs paperwork will be cut by 50%.
The UK has argued the protocol is not working, with delays and interruptions to supplies moving between the UK and Northern Ireland.
But the EU is hoping what it has called a “dramatic simplification” of the rules will bring Westminster on side, allowing for “a type of express lane that will facilitate the movement of goods”.
The papers also include plans to ensure the free flow of medicines between Great Britain and the Northern Ireland by changing EU laws.
Mechanisms will be altered to ensure the participation of Northern Ireland politicians and communities in the ongoing implementation of the protocol.
The EU says the proposals are significant, going way beyond tinkering around the edges.
But the documents do not address the controversial issue of the European Court of Justice, which under the current agreement is the final arbiter in alleged breaches of the protocol.
Lord Frost has insisted that is not acceptable, despite the UK signing the agreement. The EU insists the issue is not negotiable.
Northern Ireland’s DUP, the country’s largest pro-British party, said the proposals are a starting point but fall “a long way short” of the fundamental change needed.
“We will take time to study the detail of the papers produced. However there is no escaping the reality that the
Northern Ireland Protocol has harmed Northern Ireland, both in economic and constitutional terms,” said party leader Jeffrey Donaldson.
Lord Frost and Mr Sefcovic are expected to meet in the next few days to discuss the plans which the EU says it hopes will lead to full implementation of the protocol.
However, the meeting will come just days after Lord Frost warned the UK could trigger Article 16, suspending parts of the agreement – and leading the two sides into dangerous territory.