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London (PA Media\/dpa) – European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has rejected an accusation that the European Union (EU) is using Northern Ireland to punish the United Kingdom for Brexit.<\/p>\nLondon (PA Media\/dpa) – European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has rejected an accusation that the European Union (EU) is using Northern Ireland to punish the United Kingdom for Brexit.<\/p>\n
DUP leader Edwin Poots claimed the region is being used as a \u00abplaything\u00bb by Europe, with more checks on goods from Britain at ports per week than take place in Rotterdam once grace periods end.<\/p>\n
He accused the EU of doing \u00abdemonstrable harm to every individual in Northern Ireland,\u00bb adding it is having a \u00abdevastating impact.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Mr Poots said the UK Government has the grounds to trigger Article 16 to put the brakes on the Protocol due to \u00abeconomic and societal damage,\u00bb warning about future difficulties in receiving food and medicines.<\/p>\n
\u00abWe have violence on our streets in Northern Ireland, which hasn’t been the case for years, and that’s on the back of this Protocol,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
Also appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Sefcovic said they searched for four years for the \u00abbest solution to the very sensitive situation in Northern Ireland.\u00bb<\/p>\n
He said for the EU and the UK it was \u00abvery clear\u00bb that was the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n
He also urged a focus on policies and politics that unite than divide and to look at the Protocol as an \u00abopportunity\u00bb for Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Sefcovic said he wants to meet the Northern Ireland Executive parties before the next Joint Committee, which is expected to take place in the middle of June.<\/p>\n
\u00abI would like to hear from Mr Poots himself but also from other leaders of the political parties who form the Northern Ireland Executive and discuss with them what we can do better,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Poots also said while the European Commission over the years \u00abput their heart and soul into winning peace in Northern Ireland,\u00bb they currently \u00abdon’t seem to care for the peace process … that really needs to change, that attitude needs to change.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abThis is the European Union seeking to punish the United Kingdom. As a consequence, Northern Ireland is being used as a plaything for the European Union,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
\u00abI can assure you Northern Ireland should be nobody’s plaything, we are citizens of the United Kingdom, we were citizens of the European Union and we deserve to be treated with the same respect as everyone else.\u00bb<\/p>\n
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London (PA Media\/dpa) – European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has rejected an accusation that the European Union (EU) is using Northern Ireland to punish the United Kingdom for Brexit. DUP leader Edwin Poots claimed the region is being used as a \u00abplaything\u00bb by Europe, with more checks on goods from Britain at ports per week […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1080788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1092741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualidad"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t