Great Britain and the EU Negotiate New Brexit Trade Deal

Trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, one of the most controversial aspects of the Brexit deal, has been renegotiated. (Nova)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Urula von der Leyen announced the “Windsor Framework,” which dictates the updated policy for trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on February 27.

The “Windsor Framework” is the result of further negotiations between the European Union and Great Britain after Great Britain’s exit from the EU. There were many disagreements over how Great Britain and the EU should handle trade policy at the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Sunak believes that this new deal will strike a balance between sovereignty for Northern Ireland and unity with the rest of Great Britain.

During the Troubles, a period of political strife in Northern Ireland, the checkpoints along the border were targeted for radical groups to attack. When both Ireland and Great Britain joined the EU in 1973, the checkpoints were removed, and unrest settled down. Later, the 1989 Good Friday Agreement brought peace between the unionists, who wanted to stay in Great Britain, and republicans, who wanted to create a united Ireland after 30 years of fighting.

During Brexit negotiations, neither the EU or Great Britain wanted to reintroduce physical checkpoints at the border for fear of political instability. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had negotiated  the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU as a response to this problem. Rather than placing checks at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, checks were conducted on any goods from Great Britain entering Northern Ireland. Thus, Northern Ireland needed to follow EU production standards, rather than Great Britain’s standards. This let goods go between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without being checked.  

While many in Northern Ireland supported the Northern Ireland Protocol for keeping a checkless border, many people had issues with it. The protocol created a block between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which many unionists in Northern Ireland claimed separated them from the rest of Great Britain. Many British companies cited the paperwork requirements under the protocol and said they had to stop supplying stores in Northern Ireland. However, the protocol benefited Northern Irish companies, who have easy access to the European market. In June, the European Commission wanted to take legal action against Great Britain, because they were not implementing the protocol.

The “Windsor Framework” adjusts the Northern Ireland Protocol. There is now a “green lane” for certain trusted traders to transport goods to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, as long as they stay in the country. Any goods at risk of going to the Republic of Ireland must go through the “red lane,” which still has the checks previously required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Prime Minister Sunak is taking a big risk in the Conservative Party by signing the new agreement. Many of the Brexit hardliners within his party feel that this policy gives the EU too much control over Great Britain. Additionally, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Ireland has been boycotting the Northern Ireland Assembly because they felt too separated from Great Britain under the Northern Ireland Protocol.