According to a joint statement, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with EU President Ursula von der Leyen in the UK on Monday to discuss post-Brexit agreements. According to Xinhua news agency's report of the statement, Von der Leyen and Sunak have committed to working together in person to find shared and practical solutions to the complex challenges related to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Von der Leyen and Sunak "agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland", Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.
A dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol -- the rules governing post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland -- has strained Britain's relations with the European Union (EU).
Under the protocol, Northern Ireland is part of British customs territory but is subject to the EU's customs code, value-added tax rules and single market rules for goods.
However, a de facto Irish Sea border was thus created between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, meaning goods transported to and from Northern Ireland are subject to border controls.
Northern Ireland's pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party has demanded the removal or replacement of the protocol as a precondition for it to sit in the assembly and form a devolved government.
Disclaimer: Except for the Headline and synopsis, the story has been taken from the IANS News Service.
