European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Monday to discuss an amendment to the Northern Ireland Protocol after Brexit, the two leaders said in a joint statement, AFP, Reuters and Agerpress reported.

Ursula von der Leyen and Rishi SunakPhoto: Steve Reigate/Daily Express/PA Images/Profimedia

The meeting will take place in Berkshire, west of the British capital, the Commission said.

According to the statement, the two officials “agreed to meet to continue their efforts to find practical solutions to the complex protocol challenges regarding Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

Berkshire is located a few kilometers from Windsor Castle, the residence of King Charles III.

According to British media, Rishi Sunak was referring to the possibility of calling the “Windsor Agreement” a possible text that changes the application of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The British media also reported on a possible meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and King Charles on the day of concluding a possible agreement on the modification of this protocol. Von der Leyen was originally due to travel to Britain on Saturday to meet King Charles at Windsor Castle, but that trip was cancelled.

Concluded at the same time as the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the Protocol on Northern Ireland de facto keeps the province of Northern Ireland within the framework of the European single market. The document stipulates that in order to prevent the re-imposition of a physical border between the province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (a member state of the European Union), which would threaten the Good Friday Peace Agreement signed in 1998, customs control is carried out in the ports of Northern Ireland, including of goods coming from Great Britain.

The British have refused to introduce many of the controls and have criticized the EU for taking a too-tough approach to enforcing the Northern Ireland Protocol, which London says is hurting business in Northern Ireland and deepening political impasse in the province.