The European Union has suspended legal action against Britain

The European Union announced on Thursday that it was suspending legal action against Britain over an alleged violation of the part of the Brexit agreement related to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol. Brussels is considering London's proposals to recast the pact. "We want to give ourselves space to find a permanent solution for the implementation of the protocol," said a spokeswoman for the European Commission. "For this reason, we have decided not to proceed to the next stage of the infringement procedure against the United Kingdom at this stage," she added. In March, the EU launched legal action against London, which postponed customs controls on certain goods coming to Northern Ireland from Britain. The government of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week released a document calling on the EU to renegotiate a protocol for Northern Ireland after riots hit the province and companies struggled there. The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the post-Brexit trade agreement reached by both parties after difficult and lengthy negotiations. Its aim is to avoid the hard border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, which thus remains part of the European single market. The EU insists on not renegotiating the protocol, but said it was willing to discuss "flexibility, practical solutions and creative solutions to overcome difficulties". A spokeswoman for the bloc added that the vice-president of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, is to discuss this by telephone with the British Minister for Brexit, David Frost, on Thursday.