The European Union has launched new legal proceedings against the United Kingdom over its failure to implement parts of the post-Brexit deal it agreed with the bloc.
Earlier this week, the British government published plans to change the Northern Ireland Protocol which was initially designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open and avoid a return to sectarian violence.
According to the European Commission, the infringement proceeding was launched because the UK has failed to implement the agreement “despite repeated calls” to do so.
The UK government argues the agreement needs to be “fixed” to avoid “burdensome customs processes.
The UK previously agreed to keep the Northern border as part of the EU regulatory scheme in order to avoid a hard border. However, this created a new issue. Because the rest of the United Kingdom is not subject to EU regulations, goods leaving Northern Ireland for the rest of the island would have to be checked.
The EU has also stated that if the Johnson-led government does not respond within two months, it will take the UK to the European Court of Justice.
