Today UK-EU Joint Committee on the NI protocol meet for the first time

British and EU officials in the new Joint Committee meet today to discuss post-Brexit arrangements for NI under the NI protocol.

The negotitaions will be about post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland. The specialised committee on the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol, which will hold its first meeting virtually due to coronavirus restrictions, will be co-chaired by British and EU officials.

The Irish Times writes: The meeting is due to take stock of work on implementing the protocol, which will see Northern Ireland remain under EU customs rules after the end of the post-Brexit transition period. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier last week expressed impatience with Britain’s failure to prepare for the protocol’s consequences.

“We need clear evidence that the UK is advancing with the introduction of the agreed customs procedures for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. We need clear evidence that the UK will be able to carry out all necessary sanitary and phytosanitary controls, as well as other regulatory checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from outside the EU as of January 2021, in eight months’ time,” he said.

Two Irish officials will join the EU delegation, which will be led by Philippe Bertrand by a senior official in Michel Barnier’s task force. Officials from other member states will also be on the call.

Source: The Irish Time