The European Commission has suspended legal action against the UK over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in the hope that solutions will be found.
This comes after the UK government called for a «pause» in which the EU will not take further legal action, and the UK also refrains from taking unilateral steps.
«In order to provide the necessary space to reflect on these issues and find durable solutions to implement the Protocol, we have decided, at this point, not to move to the next stage of the infringement proceedings, which began in March,» a European Commission spokesperson said in a statement.
Last week, Brexit Secretary David Frost told the House of Commons that there had to be a «significant change» to protocol and that «we cannot continue as we are».
The Commission said the pause in legal proceedings would be used to consider the UK’s proposals.
«We affirm our readiness to continue communicating with the United Kingdom, as well as on the proposals contained in the leadership paper, and to consider any proposals that respect the principles of the Protocol,» the statement from the Commission added.
The Irish government also said it would carefully study the British proposals, which include those that were raised and discussed during the negotiation process.
«We have received a constructive response from the Commission in response to our request to freeze the current arrangements,» a British government spokeswoman said. “We look forward to entering into talks with the European Union in the coming weeks to advance the proposals in our leadership paper.
“As we explained in Command Paper last week, significant changes are needed to ensure the sustainability of the Pprotocol for the future.”
Last week, Mr Frost proposed a tiered system in which goods produced for Northern Ireland consumption only need to be inspected at Irish Sea crossing points, and that goods manufactured to standards equivalent to those of the European Union should be able to trade freely.
‘Impossible’ steps
Other proposals included repealing export certificates, government aid rules, and oversight of the European Court of Justice, including several steps seen as impossible for EU capitals to agree to.
Both Brussels and Dublin are seen as keen to de-escalate tensions over the Northern Ireland issue and encourage negotiations to find solutions to any problems through the paths set out by the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade Agreement where possible.
The Commission has warned that it will not renegotiate the protocol, which was negotiated and agreed to by both sides as a way to allow Britain to leave the single market and customs union while avoiding the need for checks across the island of Ireland.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson originally hailed the deal as a «reasonable and fair outcome» and a «very good deal» for both sides, but his government has since said it has been implemented in a much tougher way than expected.
A commission spokeswoman said: «The EU has sought flexible and practical solutions to overcome the difficulties that citizens of Northern Ireland face in implementing the Protocol – as outlined in the package of measures announced by the Commission on 30 June.»
«While the EU will not renegotiate the Protocol, we stand ready to address all issues arising in the practical implementation of the Protocol in a spirit of good faith and cooperation.»
He added that if it was necessary to continue «constructive discussions» in the coming weeks.
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