The announced departure of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not change the EU's determination to seek solutions to the dispute over customs provisions after Brexit in Northern Ireland, the European Commission said today.

Asked shortly before Johnson officially announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and will stay on until his successor is chosen, the EC spokesman Daniel Ferry said political developments would not change the EU's position on the protocol, cooperating with British authorities and Northern Ireland.

"Our position is to seek solutions regarding the implementation of the protocol and that is all, that will not change," he added. He said proceedings against London in September 2021 for breaching the Northern Ireland protocol were still ongoing.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned today, saying it was the "clear will" of his Conservative Party.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed between London and Brussels as part of their Withdrawal Agreement to resolve the sensitive border issue between Northern Ireland, which is part of Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU.

It was designed to fulfill the dual purpose of protecting the integrity of Europe's single market and avoiding a land border that could disrupt the peace achieved in 1998.

To address this, the Johnson government accepted that Northern Ireland should de facto remain within the European market by establishing a customs border in the Irish Sea with controls and customs formalities.

Source: MIA