Vice-President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic (R) meets with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Feb 21, 2022 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The proceedings could result in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) imposing fines, although these would likely be more than a year away.

The Commission, which oversees relations with former EU member Britain for the 27-member European Union, said it still wants to resume talks with Britain to resolve difficulties in shipping British products to Northern Ireland.

According to the Northern Ireland Protocol, after Brexit that territory would continue to comply with the provisions of the European single market to avoid reinstating border controls between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

To ensure that goods moving from the remaining regions to Northern Ireland meet EU standards, the two sides agreed to control goods arriving from the British mainland before entering the region. However, since being introduced in early 2021, the controls have severely disrupted the flow of goods from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland.