UK FM hosts EU talks over Northern Ireland protocol

British foreign minister James Cleverly hosted talks with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in London this week. The talks are an effort to make progress on resolving the long-running post-Brexit trade deal in Northern Ireland.

Cleverly hosted Sefcovic on Monday, where both countries agreed on data sharing, marking a step towards resolving the outstanding issues in the Northern Ireland protocol, the trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union after leaving the bloc. Cleverly and Sefcovic said the deal was an important step towards making progress in the ongoing talks between the two sides over trade rules in the region.

“They agreed that while a range of critical issues need to be resolved to find a way forward, an agreement was reached today on the way forward regarding the specific question of the EU’s access to UK IT systems,” said a joint statement. “They noted this work was a critical prerequisite to building trust and providing assurance and provided a new basis for EU-UK discussions.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson told reporters that the deal was “an important step forward.” Irish foreign minister Micheal Martin also welcomed the agreement, adding that he would be in Brussels on Tuesday for discussions regarding the Northern Ireland protocol.

The UK agreed upon leaving the EU that Northern Ireland would remain in the bloc’s single market for goods in an effort to preserve the 1998 peace deal between the region and EU-member Ireland and avoid establishing a border between the two. The EU has also sought real-time data on goods traveling from the UK to Northern Ireland in order to determine whether checks would be carried out on arrival.

On Saturday, Cleverly condemned Iran’s execution of two people on protest-related charges by its hardline judiciary. Two people were hanged on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the Tehran-backed Basij paramilitary forces during the ongoing protests.

“Iran must immediately end the violence against its own people,” tweeted Cleverly. “The execution of Mohammed Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammed Hosseini by the Iranian regime is abhorrent. The UK is strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.”