Northern Ireland Protocol

E35872

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a post-Brexit arrangement that keeps Northern Ireland aligned with certain EU single market rules to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland, effectively creating new regulatory and customs checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf international agreement
post-Brexit arrangement
affects supply chains in Northern Ireland
trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
aimsTo avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland
protect the Good Friday Agreement
safeguard North–South cooperation
allows Northern Ireland to benefit from UK trade agreements for goods not at risk of entering the EU
amendedBy Windsor Framework
appliesTo European Union
Northern Ireland
United Kingdom
cameIntoForceOn 2020-02-01
consentMechanismReviewPeriod every four or eight years
containsProvision consent mechanism for the Northern Ireland Assembly
controversyFocus impact on unionist identity
sovereignty over trade rules in Northern Ireland
creates regulatory border in the Irish Sea
criticisedBy unionist parties in Northern Ireland
establishes Joint Committee for implementation
Specialised Committee on the implementation of the Protocol
fullyAppliedFrom 2021-01-01
includesConcept goods at risk of moving into the EU single market
includesProvision state aid rules applying to measures affecting trade between Northern Ireland and the EU
keepsAlignedWith EU customs code for goods entering Northern Ireland
EU single market rules for goods
legalBasis Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union
legalStatusOfNorthernIreland remains part of the UK customs territory
monitoredBy European Commission
UK–EU Joint Committee
negotiatedBy European Commission
United Kingdom Government
partOf EU–UK Withdrawal Agreement
Withdrawal Agreement
politicalContext Brexit
protects EU single market integrity
all-island economy
providesFor continued application of certain EU law in Northern Ireland
relatedTo Good Friday Agreement
Windsor Framework
replaces earlier UK–EU backstop proposals
requires customs checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
regulatory checks on certain goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain
signatory European Union
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
subjectOf legal disputes between the EU and the UK
political controversy in the United Kingdom
subjectTo arbitration procedures under the Withdrawal Agreement
supportedBy many nationalist parties in Northern Ireland

Referenced by (5)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Windsor Framework ("UK–EU Joint Committee decisions under the Withdrawal Agreement")
basedOn
Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union ("Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland")
containsProtocol
Brexit
resultedIn
Windsor Framework
revises
British–Irish relations
shapedByEvent

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