6.

Recalls the UKCG’s and Group Leaders’ statement of 11 September 2020 and takes note that the UK as a signatory to the Withdrawal Agreement is legally bound to fully implement and respect its provisions and welcomes the withdrawal of the offending provisions of the UK Internal Market Bill; condemns the UK’s more recent unilateral actions, in breach of the Withdrawal Agreement, to extend grace periods exempting exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland from providing export health certificates for all shipments of animal products, exempting parcels from making customs declarations, and derogating from EU rules preventing soil from entering the internal market and on pet passports; considers these actions present a serious threat to the integrity of the Single Market; reiterates that all such decisions need to be agreed jointly through the relevant joint bodies; strongly calls on the UK Government to act in good faith and fully implement the terms of the agreements which it has signed, without delay, and on the basis of a credible and comprehensive timetable jointly set up with the European Commission in accordance with the good faith obligation under the Withdrawal Agreement; calls on the Commission in this regard to pursue with vigour the infringement proceeding against the UK launched on 15 March 2021 under Article 12(4) of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland; recalls that persistent non-compliance with the outcome of dispute settlement proceedings under the Withdrawal Agreement may also result in the suspension of obligations, including the restriction of the unprecedented levels of market access under the TCA; considers in this respect that the ratification of the TCA strengthens our enforcement toolbox for the Withdrawal Agreement; recalls that the full and proper respect and implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement is key to protecting citizens’ rights, protecting the peace process and avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, protecting the integrity of the internal market, and ensuring the UK pays its fair share of liabilities accrued over the course of its membership and beyond and therefore continues to be an essential precondition for the future development of the relationship between the EU and the UK; highlights the importance of good faith and the need for trust and credibility in this respect; recalls that the design of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and Article 16 thereof, reflects a very delicate and sensitive political balance; insists that proposals or actions which could alter this balance should not be taken lightly or without proper prior consultation by either party; highlights the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, and the role given to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the Protocol, including its required consent to the continued application of the Protocol in four years’ time; expresses the need for ongoing and enhanced dialogue between political representatives and civil society, including with Northern Ireland representatives, on all aspects of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and the broader Northern Irish peace process; is deeply concerned by the recent tensions in Northern Ireland and recalls that the EU is one of the main guardians of the Good Friday Agreement and is determined to protect it;