U.K. wants new trade deal for N. Ireland

U.K. wants new trade deal for N. Ireland

Subject : International Relations

Context : After rioting and business disruption hit the province of Northern Ireland, the U.K. has demanded the European Union to renegotiate the Northern Ireland Protocol – post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Concept :

Northern Ireland Protocol:

• The protocol aimed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which remains part of the EU, by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market.

Britain’s concerns:

• The Northern Ireland Protocol requires checks on goods arriving from mainland Britain. Many pro-U.K. supporters see it as creating a de facto border in the Irish Sea with mainland Britain.
• Faced with all the new bureaucracy, some British companies have stopped supplying stores in Northern Ireland, saying they simply can’t handle the added paperwork now needed.

EU’s response:

• The EU has rejected the offer and ruled out any renegotiation. It has instead offered to seek creative solutions, within the framework of the Protocol.