Britain warns EU it will trigger Brexit safeguard measures
October 4, 2021, 11:23 am

Britain warns EU it will trigger Brexit safeguard measures

Bresxit-UK

The US News reported according to Reuters, Britain warned the European Union on Monday it would trigger safeguard measures in their divorce deal if the bloc failed to agree to changes to smooth trade with Northern Ireland, saying the agreement had "come apart even more quickly than we feared".

According to the report, Brexit minister David Frost told the ruling Conservative Party's conference he would present a new set of legal texts to support the government's earlier proposals for change to the Northern Ireland protocol.

Frost did not say when the government would trigger what is known as Article 16 - allowing either side to take unilateral action if the protocol is deemed to have a negative impact - but British newspapers said he could move by the end of next month.

The EU has said the triggering of Article 16 would be "extremely unhelpful" and it would look at all options in response.

"Without an agreed solution soon, we will need to act, using the Article 16 safeguard mechanism, to address the impact the protocol is having on Northern Ireland," Frost told a sparsely populated hall at the Conservatives' annual conference in the northern English city of Manchester.

"That may in the end be the only way to protect our country - our people, our trade, our territorial integrity, the peace process, and the benefits of this great UK of which we are all part."

He told a later event that intensive talks with Brussels needed to start soon, saying Britain could not wait long although it would try everything before triggering Article 16.

'BINDING' SOLUTION

Britain's Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis told the conference the reason the government had not yet triggered Article 16 was because it wanted to "negotiate a solution that is binding and sustainable".

Since Britain left the EU's single market at the beginning of this year, difficulties in sending some goods from the mainland to its province of Northern Ireland has prompted the government to repeatedly call for changes to the protocol.

The EU has repeatedly said it will not renegotiate a deal that was signed by both sides in good faith and has urged Britain to find solutions rather than resort to threats.

"We are working intensively to find practical solutions to some of the difficulties that people in Northern Ireland are experiencing and we intend to come forward with solutions soon," European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie told a news briefing on Monday.

Frost blamed the EU's "heavy-handed actions" for threatening the delicate balance brought by the 1998 peace process that ended three decades of conflict between Irish Catholic nationalists and pro-British Protestant unionists.

He said the government had wanted to negotiate "something better" than the protocol, which created a de facto customs border between Britain and Northern Ireland, but would act independently to protect peace on the island of Ireland.

"Yes, we agreed the protocol in that difficult autumn of 2019 (during Brexit negotiations). We knew we were taking a risk - but a worthy one," he said.

"And we worried right from the start that the protocol would not take the strain if not handled sensitively. As it has turned out, we were right. The arrangements have begun to come apart even more quickly than we feared."

Source: usnews

Auf Wiedersehen Mutti Merkel Jordanian royal palace: the King owns properties and it is not a secret

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”