Passing of protocol bill would raise questions over Ireland’s place in EU single market, Ahern warns
Former Taoiseach describes atmosphere between EU, Britain and Ireland as ‘toxic’ but says negotiated settlement still possible
A new bill from the British government unilaterally removing checks on goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland could call into question Ireland’s place in the EU single market, Bertie Ahern has said.
The former Taoiseach and former leader of Fianna Fáil was speaking at an online event on Anglo-Irish relations hosted by the Institute of International and European Affairs.
He was addressing the publication by the British government last week of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which gives British ministers sweeping powers to override the protocol in four key areas: removing checks on the movement of goods; implementing a dual regulatory regime in the north; removing the jurisdiction of European state aid rules; and the role of the European Court of Justice.
