Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is in London this Monday to try to resolve the disagreements between the British Government and the EU regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol. The meeting, held at the Windsor facilities, is the result of weeks of negotiations between the two sides. After the meeting, Chancellor Sunak will have to present the agreement to the House of Commons and convince the hard-line Conservatives.
Subsequently, Ursula von der Leyen will meet King Charles III. The new agreement or reinterpretation of the existing one will remove many of the obstacles to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK since the Brexit. The EU will remove most of the controls on products arriving from the UK to Northern Ireland, even though the British province does not have a physical border with Ireland, which is part of the EU.
According to The Times, the European Court of Justice will remain the ultimate arbitrator in the event of a dispute over the single market rules that apply in Northern Ireland, something the unionists were against. Dana Spinant, a spokesperson for the EC, said the meeting between Charles III and the President of the European Commission would discuss a variety of topics, including the international context.