Queen without walking stick at Palace audience
She used a walking aid for the first time in public on Tuesday
EU proposals on Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol are expected to slash red tape on Irish Sea trade but fall short of a UK demand on axing the role of European judges.
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic will unveil a series of measures early on Wednesday evening aimed at addressing issues around customs paperwork and the movement of agri-food goods and medicines between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Mr Sefcovic, who has promised the proposals will be “very far reaching”, has also pledged to offer more of a consultative role for politicians and civic society in Northern Ireland on how the contentious trading arrangements operate.
The EU plan is expected to significantly reduce the volume of paperwork and checks required under the protocol on goods being shipped into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
Issues around looming bans on the import of some GB products into Northern Ireland, such as chilled meats, are also set to be addressed in the proposals.
While the range of measures will potentially go some way to reducing everyday friction on trade caused by the protocol, they are unlikely to satisfy a UK Government demand over the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Published: by Radio NewsHub