EU officials have been told not to hold meetings with their UK counterparts unless they are directly related to the war in Ukraine or are not "legally binding".
Euractiv writes about it.
In a letter sent to senior European Commission officials, Commission Secretary-General Ilse Johansson requested that "all directorates-general and services inform the secretariat-general of any requests for bilateral meetings with UK officials or UK stakeholders, regardless of official level." persons
The meetings should take place only if they are "legally binding", relate to the implementation of the Agreement on the withdrawal of Britain from the EU or directly to the war in Ukraine.
"The rejection of the request for a meeting should be explained on the basis of recent developments in relations between the EU and the United Kingdom," the letter states.
Brussels and London have been at loggerheads over a range of issues since the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement governing relations between the EU and Britain came into force in 2021, including the Northern Ireland Protocol and Britain's access to the Horizon Europe research programme, with both sides launching reviews one against the other.
The letter also mentions a government bill currently going through the British parliament that would give ministers the power to cancel the Northern Ireland protocol. If passed, the bill would be "a clear violation of the Withdrawal Agreement" and "constitute an unprecedented violation of international obligations and trust," Johanson said.
"Requests should be sent or accepted only after the opinion of the general secretariat is communicated," she concluded.