A trade war between Britain and the EU would be “shocking” and “unnecessary”, said Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
He urged the UK government to “go into the tunnel and negotiate” changes to post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach told the BBC that Ireland and the European Union “do not want a trade war” with the UK.
The government last week announced plans to suspend key parts of the Brexit deal within weeks.
Boris Johnson’s government agreed the trade deal with the EU in 2019 after Britain voted to leave the EU.
Should the UK unilaterally abandon agreed-upon elements of the deal that create barriers to trade in goods between Britain and Northern Ireland, the EU has the power to suspend parts of the entire post-Brexit trade deal.
- What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
- Brexit and Northern Ireland: what does each side want?
- Fact-checking claims about Brexit and Northern Ireland
Asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos if the EU was drafting plans to apply tariffs to politically sensitive British exports, Mr Martin declined to “go into the details of such things because hopefully we never have to think about it”.
“Right now I’m just saying, and I’ve always said, get down there, go into the tunnel, the UK government and the EU, negotiate and get the technocrats in there,” he added.
Asked why the EU was considering such a move at this time of soaring inflation, the Irish Prime Minister said it was only the UK making threats.
“The only unilateral step taken here comes from the UK government, which has threatened to tear up an international agreement signed with the European Union,” he said.
“That’s the only threat here. And that’s what happened.”
The Taoiseach said a solution between the parties was “feasible” and that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “don’t want meticulous controls on anything going into Northern Ireland – they want to solve this”.
At the World Economic Forum, some of the world’s largest multinationals have told the BBC they are already seeking assurances on the possibility of a trade war between the UK and the EU.
Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said “only Putin” was happy with a disagreement between the EU and Britain at this point, adding he was trying to “calm the situation down”.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was in Northern Ireland on Tuesday and stressed that her priority is a negotiated deal.
However, she has outlined plans to introduce legislation that would overturn key parts of the Brexit-Northern Ireland deal within weeks.
Add Comment