BRUSSELS, 26 May (BelTA - China Daily) - Tensions in Northern Ireland after Britain left the European Union are not caused by the protocol agreed between the two sides, but Brexit itself, the European Commission President has said.
Ursula von der Leyen said there can be no alternative to the protocol, after the United Kingdom's Brexit minister had said earlier this month that the arrangement was not sustainable.
"There should be no doubt that there is no alternative to the full and correct implementation of the protocol," von der Leyen said at a news conference held after the first day of an EU summit in Brussels.
"It is important to reiterate that the protocol is the only possible solution to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland while protecting the integrity of the EU single market.
"If we see problems today we should not forget that they do not come from the protocol but result from Brexit; that is the reason why the problems are there."
The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed by the EU and UK as part of the Brexit deal and is designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
It keeps the British territory of Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods, with inspections required on some food moving into the region from the rest of the UK.
There has been disruption to trade since the start of the year as companies have struggled with new processes. Earlier this year, the UK government unilaterally extended post-Brexit grace periods on certain trade checks in Northern Ireland, prompting the EU to launch legal action.
Implementation of the protocol has also given rise to renewed sectarian tensions. Loyalists, who support the union with the UK, have threatened violence in order to resist any separation.
The UK's Brexit minister, David Frost, has suggested that trade checks could be unilaterally axed to ensure "peace and prosperity".
Von der Leyen said technical talks aimed at simplifying the operation of the protocol are continuing, adding that the UK and EU will work together to solve the issue.
She said: "The beginnings are not easy, tensions are being felt around the access, for example, of EU fishing boats, or tensions are without any doubt there around the implementation of the protocol of Northern Ireland.
"Now, it's our common duty with the United Kingdom to do whatever we can to reduce tensions in Northern Ireland and that is why we are exploring practical solutions to help to minimize the disruptions to the everyday life in Northern Ireland."
