UK asks for more time to respond to EU Brexit legal action - RTE TV

EU Commission President von der Leyen and British PM Johnson meet in Brussels
Flags of the Union Jack and European Union are seen ahead of the meeting of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Brussels, Belgium December 9, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via REUTERS/

DUBLIN, April 14 (Reuters) - Britain has asked for more time to respond to legal action taken by the European Union over its unilateral decision to ease requirements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Ireland's RTE television reported on Wednesday.

The European Union launched legal action against Britain last month for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year. read more

Brussels gave London, which has said it has not violated the agreement, a month to respond to the legal action, but the British government has requested an extension of one month, RTE reported.

"The request came in two letters from the UK's chief Brexit minister David Frost," RTE correspondent Tony Connelly said in a Twitter post. The EU declined immediate comment.

The British government is due to host Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in London and its EU negotiator David Frost will travel to Brussels on Thursday for talks designed to ease differences over trade and Northern Ireland, the scene of more than a week of riots. read more

Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Kate Holton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read Next