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| - The European Union Thursday urged the UK to compromise to iron out "teething" problems gripping Northern Ireland, as top officials met to take stock of an early crisis following their Brexit divorce. EU Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said Brussels remained fully behind special Brexit arrangements agreed for the troubled territory despite some calls in the UK to water them down, or even abandon them altogether. The EU "will do its utmost to protect the peace in Northern Ireland", he told reporters ahead of his evening meeting in London with senior UK minister Michael Gove. "And therefore I would like to underline that the EU is absolutely committed to make the (Northern Ireland) protocol work." Britain left the EU's single market and customs union at the end of 2020. But both sides agreed in the protocol to keep Northern Ireland inside the market, so avoiding the need for a potentially troublesome hard border with EU member Ireland. Sefcovic stressed that implementing the protocol is "a two-way street" and Britain had to abide by commitments it made just in December ahead of the divorce. "These must be urgently implemented," he said, after sending a letter to Gove complaining that Britain was failing to hold up its side of the bargain on matters such as customs checks for goods entering Northern Ireland. "We are ready to look into these teething challenges while respecting the objectives of the protocol. We see the protocol as a solution, not a problem," Sefcovic added. Pro-British leaders in Northern Ireland have been demanding the protocol be scrapped after seeing shortages of goods coming from Britain due to new checks imposed as part of the Brexit trade framework. Gove has urged Sefcovic to set out "rapid action" to fix the issues, covering everything from chilled meat rules to pet travel regulations, along with a demand to extend a three-month grace period for supermarkets until 2023. Fears of sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland were fuelled after the European Commission said it would restrict Covid-19 vaccine exports as the bloc struggles with its own supply. Although the EU quickly backtracked following fierce criticism, the threatened move has intensified opposition to the new regulations. "It is disappointing that the commission has failed to acknowledge the shock and anger felt across the community in Northern Ireland" about that abortive decision, a Downing Street spokesperson said ahead of the Gove-Sefcovic meeting. "Urgent steps" were needed to restore confidence and in the talks, Gove "will underline the need for such action and political leadership in this regard" from Sefcovic. jit/phz/lc
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