Officials from both sides met in London on June 9 to hold talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol ahead of the G7 Summit but produced no breakthroughs. The UK government has threatened to unilaterally extend the customs “grace period” on Irish Sea border checks over imports of some products to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, over which the EU is vowing retaliation. Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland issue was also raised during talks between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the US and European leaders.

In a meeting with US President Joe Biden on June 10 in Cornwall on the eve of the G7 Summit, Mr Johnson tried to smoothen over differences with Mr Biden on the Northern Ireland issue, but failed to find a real solution. The two leaders agreed that both the EU and Britain had a responsibility to work together and to find pragmatic solutions to allow unencumbered trade between Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, a statement from 10 Downing Street said.

In his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on June 12, Johnson expressed confidence in the UK’s position in the Northern Ireland Protocol and made clear his desire for pragmatism and compromise on all sides but underlined that protecting the Belfast Agreement in all its dimensions is paramount.