LONDON (Bywire News) - On Wednesday a spokeswoman for the British government announced its cooperation with the European Union over the dealings in Northern Ireland. The UK will meet demands to respond to the legal action launched by the bloc over the new introduction of trading rules in Northern Ireland, by mid-May.
Legal action by the EU against Britain was launched back in March over the unilateral changes made to the Northern Ireland trading agreement, which Brussels has claimed is a breach of the Brexit divorce deal, agreed last year in London.
According to Britain, the move does not challenge the trade segment of the Brexit deal. It claims to have lengthened the grace period on imports into Northern Ireland to help ease the transit.
The spokeswoman said, "In line with precedent that typically allows two months to respond to proceedings of this kind, we have agreed with the EU that we will respond to the Letter of Formal Notice by mid-May."
She added, "We've been clear that the measures we have taken are lawful and part of a progressive and good faith implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol."
Supermarkets across Northern Ireland have faced shortages of food ever since last year when Britain left the EU single market. Checks on parcels and pets have also seen severe delays at the hands of the British government.
Britain's withdrawal agreement posed severe difficulties, as Northern Ireland was left dependant on the EU single market for goods, which under the new laws require checks when arriving in Northern Ireland from other UK regions.
On Thursday, the EU and UK are set to meet and discuss the situation in Northern Ireland. A meeting that is unlikely to provide a breakthrough but instead act as a stepping stone for London and Brussels to ease the tensions over trade.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Klaudia Fior; editing by Kate Holton)