The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed on Monday the importance of cooperation «based on agreements» after her first meeting with the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, taking advantage of the fact that both are in Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) for the international climate summit.
«I look forward to a constructive cooperation between the European Union and the United Kingdom based on our agreements,» Von der Leyen said in a brief message broadcast via his Twitter account after the meeting.
Relations between London and Brussels were strained under Boris Johnson’s government when it decided to bring forward legislation to prevent the implementation of much of the provisions agreed between the UK and the 27 to avoid a return to a physical border in the Ulster as a result of Brexit.
The terms of the divorce included a specific protocol for Northern Ireland and facilitating the transit of goods despite the break with the European Union, but London considered after agreeing this regime that it was detrimental to its interests and did not implement it. Brussels has therefore taken the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the EU.
«We face many common challenges, from tackling climate change to energy transition, including Russia’s war against Ukraine,» summed up the head of the EU executive, who described this first contact as a «good first meeting».
The meeting between the two in the margins of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) was «brief», according to Community sources, and it was not revealed whether during the talk they discussed the negotiations necessary to unblock the application of the protocol for the two Irish companies or whether they set a date for a formal meeting at a later date.
For its part, Downing Street said in a brief statement that Sunak «reiterated the need to find solutions to the very real problems created on the ground in Northern Ireland» by the aforementioned protocol. «Both agreed on the importance of working together to agree a solution,» it said.
He also stressed that both «agreed» that the UK and the EU will remain «steadfast» in their «military, economic and diplomatic support for Ukraine and in dealing with Russian aggression», while the ‘premier’ has conveyed that «the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s manipulation of energy prices have only strengthened the case for ending dependence on fossil fuels».
Finally, he stressed that during the meeting they discussed «the progress and challenges since COP26 in Glasgow» and «committed to work together to accelerate the transition to renewables and mobilize financial resources for developing countries».
