On November 7, an interesting story was published in Politico. The headline was meaningful as well: ‘We were taken for fools’: MEPs fume at UK data protection snub. A European Parliament MP, French MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, described meetings with the U.K. government over their data protection reform plans as ‘appalling.’
The situation, the French official said, was truly dire: the UK Minister for Digital Affairs, Julia Lopez, quit the meeting halfway through, U.K. Home Office ministers did not deign to meet them, and instead of the chief of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), they met the acting director. As if that were not enough, the ICO officials whom they could meet seemed to know nothing about data protection, giving one-sentence answers to all the questions. When Britain was reforming the data protection law inherited from the EU, it was only about growth and innovation, human rights wasn’t even considered: “I never heard them say, protecting data is a fundamental right. Even in Hungary they say this,” Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield said.
British-Swiss cooperation against EU
The tension between Brussels and London is not limited to data protection alone. The crisis due to the UK’s participation in the European Union’s massive budgeted scientific fund programme Horizon (95.5 billion euros by 2027) has led to a significant alliance.
According to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed after Britain’s exit from the EU (“Brexit”), the United Kingdom would be able to become a partial member of the Horizon. But the dispute broke out when the European Commission refused to set a binding deadline for partial membership. This is said to be due to a complication with the Northern Ireland Protocol. According to the Horizon scheme, researchers from third countries can participate in Horizon programs, but generally cannot manage projects or access funds.
So, Britain began to implement Plan B. London, which has set out to sign its own bilateral agreements outside the EU mechanism, has managed to build a surprising bilateral collaboration with a non-EU European country.
Switzerland, which has dozens of bilateral deals with the EU, wanted to join Horizon, but has been blocked from joining the programme since it rejected the scientific cooperation agreement for being ‘overarching.’ Switzerland says joining Horizon is still a ‘priority’, but it seems the die is cast.
Another sign showing that it’s too little too late is hidden between the lines of British Science Minister George Freeman’s response to criticism that the agreement with Switzerland is no match for Horizon: “This Anglo-Swiss agreement is the first of a number I am negotiating. I was recently in Israel, which will follow next [deal].” Mr. Freeman also said that deepening relationships with research and development economies such as Switzerland is critical to becoming a science superpower.
On the other hand, the amount of funds to be allocated to the Anglo-Swiss partnership is still a mystery. According to a claim, the science community is vexed by the rumors that the Treasury Department could cut the £15bn (€17.2bn) that was reserved for Horizon, BBC reported.
Northern Ireland tensions continue
The Northern Ireland Protocol was signed between Brussels and London during the Brexit negotiations. As per the protocol, there would be no need to check the goods to be transported across the Irish land border. As is known, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, while the Republic of Ireland is an independent country and still a part of EU.
Before Brexit, there was no problem in the trade of goods because both sides were subject to EU rules. After the UK left the EU, special trading agreements were needed since Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland. The EU has strict control mechanisms over certain goods from non-EU countries.
The protocol provides for EU inspections to be carried out between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), not on the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. These inspections will take place at Northern Ireland ports and will continue to follow EU norms in Northern Ireland production standards.
So, the British government wants to change this protocol. According to London’s new plan, goods going from England, Wales and Scotland to Northern Ireland will be divided into two sectors. The first sector (“Green Lane”) will only cover goods going to Northern Ireland and there will be no checks here. This lane will be for ‘trusted traders.’ The second sector (“Red Lane”) will cover goods destined for the Republic of Ireland and the EU from England, Wales, and Scotland and these will undergo full checks.
In this case, taxation will have to change. Northern Ireland remains subject to EU rules on state aid and VAT, which include certain limitations. Britain also wants to remove these limitations. London also wants an independent body, not the European Court of Justice, to be responsible for resolving disputes over the protocol. The UK government is threatening to amend the protocol even if no agreement is reached with Brussels. The island country argues it could amend an international protocol, citing concerns it could undermine peace in Northern Ireland.
In June, the European Commission sought legal sanctions against the United Kingdom. The commission said it was not ready to renegotiate the protocol but has offered to work on its implementation. These include reducing customs and checks on goods, reducing the amount of paperwork, and relaxing regulations for chilled meats to be sent across the Irish Sea.
Since last October, technical negotiations on the Protocol have been conducted between the parties. London says it wants a negotiated solution but is also considering the option of taking a unilateral step if they fail to reach an agreement.
On the other hand, the United States made a statement that seems like a threat. According to The Telegraph, Washington piles pressure on Brussels to reach an agreement before Good Friday Agreement’s 25th anniversary. According to an EU diplomat, the U.S. has increased the pressure on the EU, but it also ‘encourages’ London. However, The Telegraph reported that Britain gets the lion’s share of the U.S. pressure. According to the paper, Joe Biden is not happy about Britain’s decision to amend the protocol on the grounds that it could undermine peace in Northern Ireland.
Britain-EU relations are at odds: We need WhatsApp diplomacy
But things don’t end here either. The UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick announced that Non-Irish EU citizens will have to present biometric data to enter the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Together with the law, which will enter into force next year, citizens of EU member states (excluding Irish) who are subject to Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) have to provide their fingerprints and facial biometrics.
London, on the other hand, appears to make fences with Paris, while looking daggers at Berlin. With the agreement on illegal migrant traffic in the English Channel, relations are accelerating. This is said to be influenced by the golden boys of the financial world being the heads of the two countries, as Rishi Sunak is the former executive of Goldman Sachs and Emmanuel Macron is the former executive of Rothschild. According to a French official speaking to the Financial Times, the two countries have now achieved a very positive dynamic. Lord Peter Ricketts, former British Ambassador to Paris, said relations have improved gradually since the summer.
From a Brussels’ point of view, the situation does not seem very promising. Another guest at the Financial Times was EU Ambassador to London João Vale de Almeida. Almeida’s complaint is hilarious as well as an indication of the extent to which relations with the UK have declined: “We’ve had more summits with China than we have had with the UK. There have been none. That’s not normal. These people need to share their WhatsApp numbers.”
