Here's a first reaction from the European Commission to the UK's paper on implementing the NI Protocol
1/ "The Commission has repeatedly underlined the importance of the UK setting out its plans with regard to all implementation measures prescribed by the Protocol on Ireland / NI and providing a detailed timetable.
2/ "The required implementation measures are set out in the Commission’s technical note of 30 April.
"In that respect, the Commission welcomes the publication of the UK’s paper on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which it will now study in detail
"In that respect, the Commission welcomes the publication of the UK’s paper on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which it will now study in detail
3/ "We will share our assessment with the European Parliament and Member States and look forward to detailed discussions with the UK at technical level.
"The Protocol provides a stable and lasting solution to address the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland.
"The Protocol provides a stable and lasting solution to address the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland.
4/ "This solution avoids a hard border and protects the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in all its dimensions, while also safeguarding the integrity of the EU’s Single Market.
5/ "The detailed legal commitments set out in the Protocol must now be implemented precisely to give full effect to this solution.
6/ "The time to implement the Protocol is short, and practical implementation measures must start immediately so that the Protocol can be operational by 1 January 2021. To this end, the Commission stands ready to work with the UK authorities." ends
