Mistakes made in lead-up to attempt to trigger Article 16 – EC vice-president

By Cate McCurry and Michael McHugh, PA

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has said mistakes were made in the process leading up the EU’s recent attempt to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Sefcovic said the commission “deeply regrets” how it handled the issue.

The vice-president came under scrutiny while appearing before Ireland’s European Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Mr Sefcovic was accused of “splitting hairs” and failing to engage with questions from political representatives about the EU’s decision to briefly trigger the controversial mechanism.

The EU backtracked on the move, which it said was due to efforts to restrict the export of Covid-19 vaccines out of the bloc.

Mr Sefcovic said the issue was resolved in a matter of hours.

“Article 16 was never activated and I can reassure you that the commission has learned the lesson and the commission will do its utmost to protect peace in Northern Ireland, as it has done throughout the entire Brexit process,” he added.

“I really would like to underscore the fact that Ireland and Northern Ireland was not only on our minds all the time, but also in our hearts as well, and therefore I believe we achieved very good results.”

The Northern Ireland Protocol requires regulatory and customs checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

However, the new arrangements have caused disruption since January 1.

Mr Sefcovic added: “I would like to stress that our commitment to the protocol is unwavering but we also have to understand that the implementation of the protocol is a shared responsibility.

“It must be always a two-way street.

Meanwhile,

Responding to European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič’s announcement that he will be meeting business and civic leaders from Northern Ireland on Thursday, Ulster Unionist Leader, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, said:

“If Maroš Šefčovič is genuinely committed to protecting the Belfast Agreement, then he cannot continue to ignore the genuine and legitimate concerns of unionists who not only negotiated the Belfast Agreement, but supported and endorsed it. The current approach of the EU and Irish Government pays scant regard to building mutual trust and respect.

“His announcement that he is going to engage with business and civic leaders may be a crude attempt to give the Protocol a gloss of community support, but his continued side-lining and dismissal of the views of the pro-Union community is trampling all over the Belfast Agreement.”

On Tuesday evening, DUP leader Arlene Foster said she had discussed the protocol with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.

She added: “When Maros Sefcovic conducts meetings here on Thursday, the people he meets must include those hardest hit & those who opposed the protocol rather than just cheerleaders for the rigorous implementation of the protocol.”