The EU is set to start using a live information system detailing goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This might be a sign of progress in a long-running post-Brexit trade dispute.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said that an agreement had been reached on the "way forward regarding the specific question of the EU's access to UK IT systems." The statement said: "EU and UK technical teams will work rapidly to scope the potential for solution in different areas on the basis of this renewed understanding."
The Northern Ireland protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit divorce deal, keeps Northern Ireland subject to EU sanitary and regulatory standards on goods after the rest of the UK left the bloc. Although it means goods flow freely across the Irish land border in both directions, it has required tougher controls on goods imported from Britain in a bid to protect the single market.
EU officials have been testing the UK's goods data system since last year and pressing for changes. One official said that there were "some remaining technical issues" with the UK setup, but that both sides had now agreed on actions to be taken "over the coming days and weeks."
Source: politico.eu