British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen present the agreement
More than three years after Britain formally left the European Union, the UK and the EU on Monday (27/2) announced an agreement on more flexible trade rules for Northern Ireland – one of the biggest impasses involving Britain's exit from the European bloc. .
Northern Ireland is a British territory and forms the United Kingdom with England, Wales, and Scotland. It is located on a neighboring island and shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, an independent country part of the European Union.
The 500 km distance that divides Ireland and Northern Ireland also represents the land border between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the new understanding represents a new chapter in relations between the two parties, which were shaken by the “divorce” caused by Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Sunak said the British Parliament would have a “vote.” [sobre o tema] In due course this vote will be respected.”Labour, which opposes Sunak, said it would support the deal.
What was agreed upon?
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who completed the process of leaving the European bloc, removed a clause originally created to avoid a closed border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The “bumper”, as it is called in English, would ensure that passport and goods checkpoints on the border between the two countries – the so-called “hard border” – would not return.
If this came to fruition, there was fear that old tensions between the Irish and Northern Irish would resurface.
But many Brexiteers said the “backstop” would prevent the UK from effectively cutting ties with the EU.
The new agreement reached between London and Brussels attempts to find a compromise solution for these negotiations. See the main points:
- UK goods destined for Northern Ireland will have a 'green strip', without the need for checks and an export declaration;
- There will be a 'red tape' for UK goods heading to the EU;
- When smuggling is suspected, inspections may be conducted in the “green corridor”;
- According to Prime Minister Sunak, food products sold in supermarkets in the UK will be available on shelves in Northern Ireland;
- There will be facilities for transporting pets between Northern Ireland and the UK;
- Medicines for Northern Ireland will be approved by the British regulatory body and not by its European counterpart.
Ireland and Northern Ireland have spent decades in a tense relationship that saw a new chapter following the peace deal
For security reasons, Ireland and Northern Ireland have spent decades with a “hard border”.
In 1998, a peace treaty ended three decades of violent conflict between Catholic nationalists, who wanted to integrate with Ireland, and Protestant unionists, who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
That year – after nearly two years of negotiations and thirty years of conflict – the Good Friday Agreement was signed between then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
As a result, a new government was formed with power shared between unionists and nationalists.
The aim of the agreement was to have the two sides work together in a group called the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Assembly will now be able to make decisions that were previously solely the responsibility of the British Parliament in London.
“brake”
A mechanism called the “Stormont brake” was also introduced.
Under the Protocol, some EU laws apply in Northern Ireland.
This process gives the Northern Irish Parliamentary Assembly the power to raise objections to a particular law (Stormont is the name of the place where the Northern Irish legislature is located).
The mechanism will be activated if at least 30 parliamentarians from two or more parties in the Council sign the objection.
The Stormont brakes cannot be activated for “trivial reasons”, under the agreement, and are intended for “significantly different” rules.
Political reactions
It remains to be seen in the coming days whether Brexiteers in England and Northern Ireland will be satisfied with the terms of the agreement.
For them, there remains the impression that the Protocol loosens Northern Ireland's links with the rest of the UK.
Unionist Party leader Geoffrey Donaldson said: “It is not possible to hide the fact that in some sectors of our economy EU laws remain applicable in Northern Ireland.”
Johnson, the former British Prime Minister and one of the biggest Brexit enthusiasts, has not yet commented publicly on this announcement.
Theresa May, who was also Prime Minister and led negotiations to leave the European bloc for a long time, praised the outcome reached between London and Brussels: “It will make a big difference.”
Sunak hopes the deal will improve cooperation between the UK and the EU, which includes regulation of financial services.
The British Prime Minister hopes that the success of the agreement with the European Union will ensure more control within his Conservative party and achieve better popularity ratings (Labour's rivals appeared ahead in an opinion poll and a national election is expected in 2024).
In Parliament, Sunak said the deal ensures free trade with Northern Ireland, protects Northern Ireland's place in the UK and protects sovereignty by removing the “democratic deficit”.
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