Germany's Scholz warns UK against 'unilateral' change to post-Brexit accord in Northern Ireland
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday opposed any challenge to post-Brexit controls establishing a special status for Northern Ireland, which London says are "not tenable" after the Sinn Fein republicans won recent elections in the UK territory.
The UK has hinted at the possibility of unilaterally suspending part of the Brexit agreement if no new deal can be reached with the EU.
"No one should unilaterally cancel, break or in any way attack the settlement we have agreed together, especially because we know that this is a complex issue which is not only about the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, but also has to do with the peaceful development of Ireland," Scholz said.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, appearing alongside him at a joint news conference in Berlin, also said he was opposed to such a move.
"It has always been important that we find a comprehensive solution that meets all these requirements at the same time, and that is what we are committed to, without change," the German Chancellor insisted.
The Sinn Fein republicans, supporters of Irish reunification, won local elections for the first time on Thursday.
This puts them in a position to run the local executive, which is supposed to be shared with unionists committed to remaining part of the British crown under the 1998 peace agreement.
But paralysis threatens: for the Democratic Unionist Party, now the second largest force in the local assembly, there is no question of participating in a government unless the special post-Brexit status is changed.
The Northern Ireland Protocol, which sets out the rules, is "not tenable in its current form" given the elections in the British province, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned
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