British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have reached agreement on trade rules for Northern Ireland. The so-called “Windsor Framework” contains concrete agreements that are supposed to solve trade problems.
- Goods destined for Northern Ireland only and goods entering the EU are separated into a green and a red lane;
- Northern Ireland can ‘pull an emergency brake’ on EU rules, UK government will have ‘veto power’;
For example, border controls between Britain and Northern Ireland will largely be lifted, says Van Bekhoven. It is also necessary to distinguish with the help of a green and a red stripe for goods which are or are not destined for the European Union. Furthermore, Sunak said the new deal should ensure that “quite British goods” would once again be available in Northern Ireland. This should also apply to medicines.
Trucks in the green stripe are for Northern Ireland, the red stripe is for goods crossing the EU. According to Sunak, this avoids “any feeling of boundary in the Irish Sea”. “This plan has only been on the table for two years,” says Europe correspondent Stefan de Vries. «In reality, these are measures that are all aimed at internal politics. It doesn’t matter much for Europe.’
Von der Leyen had traveled to London to iron out any last few wrinkles with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In the press conference, Sunak spoke of a decisive turning point. Von der Leyen called the deal a new chapter in the relationship between the UK and the European Union. She expressed confidence that the deal “will work for everyone”.
Controversial
The issue is one of the most controversial consequences of Brexit, the exit of Great Britain from the European Union in 2020. Northern Ireland, a British province, used to have a border with Ireland, a member of the EU. Any return to a hard border could have jeopardized the 1998 peace deal, the so-called Good Friday Accords.
According to De Vries, the question is in fact an unsolvable problem. It is also questionable whether Sunak will get enough support for the deal in the UK parliament. Sunak is due to make a statement to the UK parliament later today. This puts Sunak at risk of a split in his party.
Peace
De Vries points out that Sunak can be credited with restoring peace to the UK. “Something that Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Theresa May have failed to do,” says De Vries. “And this was necessary.”
That Sunak labels the deal a new chapter is no brag, according to Van Bekhoven. “Under Johnson, the British were on a collision course with the EU,” he says. “Brexit has become a weapon in identity politics, but Sunak is pragmatic.”
Less ideological
Sunak would be less ideological and would actually like to work towards a normalization of relations with Brussels, thinks Van Bekhoven. “And the price of a deal for him is huge, it goes a long way towards his political status,” she says. «But above all: above all, he paves the way for a renewed collaboration with Brussels. Especially in science. The so-called Horizon program is very important to the British and they hope to regain full access to it.’
Van Bekhoven is well aware that there will still be conservative ‘Brextremists’ who will oppose the deal, ‘but they are a minority. It looks like the tide has turned this afternoon,” he concludes.
Source: BNR
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