King Charles III will host European Commission President Ursula von de Leyen on Monday on the sidelines of talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on post-Brexit relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
“The King is happy to meet any world leader visiting the UK and does so on the advice of the government,” a spokesman for the royal family said.
The meeting will take place this afternoon at Windsor Castle, following a meeting between the European leader and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to try to reach an agreement on the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, part of an agreement to leave the United Kingdom from the European Union. (EUROPEAN UNION).
Sunak and von de Leyen are expected to end months of tense talks to resolve disagreements over new customs rules and policies resulting from Brexit that distinguish the province of Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
If the pact is concluded this Monday, the British Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission will hold a press conference.
Sunak then has to make a statement in the House of Commons to explain the details of the deal to MPs, after which a vote will take place.
Under the terms of the current protocol, customs control in trade between the UK and the EU is carried out at the points of entry into Northern Ireland, which avoids the construction of a physical border with the neighboring Republic of Ireland, so as not to undermine the 1998 peace agreement.
This trade frontier, located on the Irish Sea, is seen by Unionists, defenders of Northern Ireland’s status as a British territory, as a threat to relations with the rest of the United Kingdom.
In February 2022, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) overthrew the regional government and prevented the formation of a new autonomous assembly after the May elections.