EU Plans Changes To Ease Northern Ireland Protocol Row

The European Commission will announce a “bespoke” arrangement for Northern Ireland on Wednesday, senior EU sources have told Euronews, in a bid to end the deadlock that has been going on for almost a year.

Photo Insert: The EU will issue special provisions for “national identity goods,” i.e., British bangers, which will allow Northern Irish consumers access to products from Britain.

For several months, many in the Unionist community have decried strict EU rules on chilled meats such as sausages from Britain being prohibited -- as they come from a country outside the EU’s single market, Shona Murray reported for Euronews.

In response, the EU will issue special provisions for “national identity goods,” i.e., British bangers, which will allow Northern Irish consumers access to products from Britain.

The UK government opted for a hard Brexit when it left the EU, which has resulted in high levels of checks on goods leaving the British mainland. Under Brussels' new proposals the EU plans to “dramatically” reduce the level of checks on goods.

"We obviously can’t get rid of all checks; we need to protect the Single Market, so surveillance will still apply but we hope to simplify a lot of this," a source told Euronews.

As part of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, the terms and conditions of the UK’s departure from the bloc, Northern Ireland remains in the EU’s single market for goods -- to keep an open land border with the Irish Republic -- while also having access to the UK’s internal market.

Unionists have been angered by the resulting Irish Sea border creating an internal UK trade barrier with Britain, although the British government has postponed new checks indefinitely.

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