The Brexit dispute over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol rumbles on as the EU and UK fail to resolve their differences. This week, Northern Ireland businesses told MPs the "sausage war" is a "red herring", warning bigger problems are just around the corner. An increase in the amount of administration needed for moving food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland could pose a threat, they warned.
The grace period for goods moving into Northern Ireland was granted another extension of three months recently in order to avert a ban on chilled meats.
After the extension was agreed, the UK Government said it would work "energetically" with the EU to find a permanent solution to the looming "sausage war", as well as wider issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The UK has accused the EU of being inflexible surrounding the Protocol, while Brussels is furious because Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed up to it as part of the trade and withdrawal agreements.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Euronews last month she wanted the British "just to do their job and implement what we have agreed upon".
Expert on European affairs, Kevin Featherstone, told Express.co.uk that Ireland could receive big backing by the other 26 EU member states on the matter.
The London School of Economics academic said the EU27 will unite to apply pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He said: "I think the big surprise has been how strongly the other 26 member states in the EU have lined up behind Ireland.
"The EU27 have been remarkably united, from the rest of the EU's point of view, do they really care about the border with Northern Ireland if you are in Athens or Madrid?
"I think what they have accepted is a culture of 'we stand together' because that's the only way we can keep the 27 on the road."
However, Mr Featherstone said that Prime Minister Johnson faces his biggest post-Brexit challenge in French President Emmanuel Macron.
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The expert added: "London has its biggest problem with Macron in Paris, we saw that with the fishing rights.
"What we've seen is, Macron has become in his own mind more frustrated with Johnson and Brexit just goes against every part of his DNA really.
"At first, his attitude was 'if you want to leave, go now! We can have a quick divorce'. But as it has dragged on, Macron has just become increasingly frustrated.
"And Ireland has benefited from that, it means that the bloc has been more united."
Mr Featherstone also predicted a feud between the EU and UK could erupt over Mr Johnson's handling of COVID-19.
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Johnson's plans to lift COVID-19 restrictions on July 19 is causing concern in Brussels and around Europe.
Mr Featherstone warned British tourists could even face a ban from some European countries because of this.
He said: "Either it works in the UK and this third wave is managed ？ or the darker scenario is that it doesn't work, we have over 100,000 infections a day and the NHS doesn't cope, and from the European point of view the problem will be what to do with British tourists.
"Mediterranean states depend on our tourism, so we could then see pressure from Paris and Berlin together to say 'stop travellers from Britain' whatever those in Madrid or Rome say.
"So we could easily have a political flare-up in August on the basis that the UK's strategy of easing up hasn't worked, and there's a sense that British travellers must be stopped.
"We are going to see political conflict within the EU, but also between the EU and London. 'What the hell have you been doing? That's the stupidest risk taking'."