European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday to work towards a deal on Northern Ireland’s trading arrangements. The aim is to
settle the dispute that has overshadowed post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union (EU). The proposed Brexit deal is designed not only to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland, but also to improve the UK’s relations with the EU and the US. Joe Biden’s administration has expressed concerns about the situation.
The Northern Ireland protocol, which forms part of the withdrawal agreement finalised between the UK and the EU in 2019 when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, sets out the region’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. Pro-British parties in Northern Ireland objected to how the protocol treats the region differently to the rest of the UK, while businesses complained about unnecessary bureaucracy.
Negotiators have been working towards a deal that would cut checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and limit the role of the European Court of Justice. The proposed deal would set up a “green lane” with minimal checks at Irish Sea ports for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, and a “red lane” involving substantive checks for goods heading for the Irish Republic. However, some Eurosceptic Conservative MPs and the Democratic Unionist party, Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, may object to the deal.
The DUP forced the collapse of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government at Stormont last year in protest at how the protocol creates a de facto border in the Irish Sea. This reflects how Northern Ireland remains part of the EU single market for goods in Johnson’s Brexit deal. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has called for changes to the legally binding UK withdrawal agreement with the EU.
The proposed Brexit deal is expected to reduce the influence of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland but keep it as the ultimate arbiter of disputes about EU law. However, some MPs have said that cutting the influence of the European court is not enough. Mark Francois, leader of the European Research Group of pro-Brexit Tory MPs, said that the DUP could not accept a Brexit deal where EU law was superior to UK law in Northern Ireland.
Sunak has said he is “giving it everything” to try to strike a deal with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol. He added that he did not believe the deal would leave Northern Ireland in the “orbit” of Brussels. The Prime Minister has said he would try to resolve the concerns of the DUP, which objects to how the European Court of Justice has a role in overseeing implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol. Photo by Ilovetheeu, Wikimedia commons.