Post-Brexit tensions persist between Brussels and London. The recent riots revolve around Britain’s refusal to grant João Vale de Almeida, the EU’s ambassador to London, the highest level of diplomatic status, a matter of concern to the EU’s foreign affairs coordinator, Josep Borrell. The case has been going on for a while, but now the BBC has exposed it.
Great British performance. The European Union is represented in nearly 150 countries in the world, from Afghanistan to South Sudan and from Turkey to Russia. The EU ambassador in all these countries enjoys the same high diplomatic status as the ambassador of a “normal” country. This includes certain privileges, such as sanctity.
Former US President Donald Trump withdrew the EU’s highest diplomatic status in 2018 – without accidentally notifying Brussels – but that decision was reversed in March 2019. It may have been a mistake at the time.
“The European Union is not a country”
London’s argument is that the European Union is not a country and that granting diplomatic status will set a precedent for other international organizations based in the United Kingdom who may also seek preferential treatment.
Brussels’ argument that the European Union is no ordinary international organization – it has its own currency, legal system and legislative powers – has so far failed to comfort London.
“The amenities offered do not reflect the specific nature of the European Union, nor are they proportionate to the future relationship between the EU and the UK as an important third country,” Borrell told British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a statement. Come into the hands of the BBC.
The European Union foreign ministers will discuss the issue at their regular meeting on Monday.
Collaborate in a smaller group
“Small-minded” is how an EU official describes Britain’s actions toward the BBC. It’s not about perks, it’s about principles. What is the value of the British signature? “In 2010, when the European Union’s Diplomatic Field Service was established, the United Kingdom participated in signing agreements regarding the high standing of EU envoys to the rest of the world, in line with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Since Brexit is a fact, it appears that the British government wants to cooperate with the European Union as little as possible. It prefers to do business with countries individually or in smaller groups, such as the G7 or the so-called E3 (with Germany and France) when it comes to relations with Iran.
The British position is also a personal insult to the Portuguese João Vale de Almeida, the respected European Union ambassador in London who represented the European Union in the United States and at the United Nations.
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