RTE: Mood Around NI Protocol & EU-UK Relations 'As Grim As Could Be'

Tony Connelly at RTE tweets an informative thread on the UK's bill intended to alter the Northern Ireland protocol set to be presented on Monday 13 June. Select comments below:

• "There's been lots of speculation...about enabling clauses, frameworks requiring the Protocol to comply with the "constitutional integrity" of the UK...My understanding after a lot of last minute drafting this week, is that the bill will be lighter on references to the "dual regulatory regime", the central mechanism that will essentially ...abolish the Irish Sea border"
• "That tells me that they're looking for a get out of jail card," says one official familiar with the drafting. "It will be heavier on the implied powers to ministers than direct powers..."
• "It would also be no surprise there won't be detail on the Dual Regulatory Regime given the vehemence of NI stakeholder opposition. Needless to say, there is disdain in EU capitals about any of this stuff...Officials say that France and Germany in particular are "incandescent" at the UK's approach to an international treaty. Relations between Dublin and London are as low as they have ever been."
• "The European Commission VP Maros Sefcovic is expected to make a detailed statement on Monday, and will brief EU ambassadors on Wednesday. The Commission will urge the UK to come back to the negotiating table, and may soon spell out in more detail what the flexibilities from its October papers will entail in the real world..."
• "The Commission could unfreeze legal action against the EU soon, after the publication of the Bill, and possibly add more infringement proceedings. Overall, the mood is as grim as it could be..."