European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has rejected a request by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to renegotiate the Northern Ireland protocol which has been a hindrance to both sides despite the Brexit agreement already being reached.
“The European Union (EU) will continue to be creative and flexible and the protocol framework. But we will not re -negotiate ", he said after speaking with the prime minister on Thursday.
EU sources said the call lasted about 30 minutes, and Von der Leyen explained that they were speaking at Johnson's request.
Through the call, PM Johnson has told that the way the protocol operates is unsustainable. A solution could not be achieved through existing protocol mechanisms, and that is why they put forward proposals for significant changes to it.
He urged the EU to take the proposal seriously and work with the UK. There is a great opportunity to find reasonable practical solutions to the difficulties facing citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland, as well as to bring about good relations between the UK and the EU.
The UK’s attempts to renegotiate have left EU policymakers frustrated, as they have proposed changes to reduce the impact on Northern Irish citizens. Further adjustments are likely to remain to be made, but the EU is pushing for full -scale renegotiations.
This rejection dealt a strong blow to PM Johnson who had previously repeatedly made false claims that there would be no checks on the border between Britain and Northern Ireland.
