Northern Ireland’s Foster accuses EU of disregarding peace deal

Dispute over alleged breach of Brexit deal by UK shows EU ‘only interested’ in protecting itself, first minister says.

Northern Ireland’s first minister on Friday said the European Union’s move to take legal action over alleged breaches of the Brexit divorce deal by the United Kingdom showed it was “only interested” in protecting itself, not the landmark 1998 Belfast peace agreement. The EU said on Wednesday it would take legal action after the UK government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move Brussels said violated the terms of the pact it brokered with London late last year. Reacting to the move, Arlene Foster said the EU’s actions showed its priority was protecting its 27-member trading bloc.