New Agreement on Northern Ireland Simplifies Relations Between EU and UK

Abstract

On 27 February, the European Commission and the United Kingdom reached a political agreement in principle on the so-called ‘Windsor Framework’, necessary to resolve several issues that had arisen between the parties, in particular with regard to the Northern Ireland issue, following the British withdrawal from the European Union. The joint solutions, found within the framework of the Withdrawal Agreement, are based on the following starting points: a comprehensive, cross-cutting and definitive solution, addressing practical difficulties in the operation of the Protocol; a balance between flexibilities for the movement of goods for end use in Northern Ireland and effective safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the EU’s Single Market; a clear distinction between goods at risk and goods not at risk of entering the EU’s Single Market. The European Commission and the Government of the United Kingdom will proceed, within the remit of their respective powers, with the necessary steps to translate the joint solutions into legally binding instruments. Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland, Brexit, withdrawal, Belfast Agreement, customs, market