Table of Contents
What does Brexit mean for the Northern Ireland peace deal?
During Brexit negotiations, all sides agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal ( the Good Friday agreement) was an absolute priority. It meant keeping the land border between the Republic of Ireland (in the EU) and Northern Ireland (in the UK) open and avoiding new infrastructure like cameras and border posts.
What does the EU Protocol mean for the Northern Ireland border?
Under the protocol it was agreed that Northern Ireland would continue to follow EU rules on product standards (part of the single market) to prevent checks along the border. Checks would instead take place on goods entering Northern Ireland from England, Scotland or Wales.
How will Brexit affect lorries in Northern Ireland?
After Brexit, Northern Ireland continues to follow many EU rules, in particular the ones governing the trade in goods, meaning lorries can drive across the land border without being inspected.
Why is the EU suing the UK over the Northern Ireland checks?
The EU has now launched legal action against the UK, alleging that it is unilaterally changing the rules in breach of international law. The checks apply to goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland and were introduced under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the treaty which took the UK out of the EU.
What will happen to Northern Ireland’s border post-Brexit?
The European Union will give Ireland some leeway to establish new border arrangements with Northern Ireland in case of a no-deal Brexit, sources in the bloc’s political hub Brussels said.
Does a no-deal Brexit create a hard border?
On another occasion, the EU Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, told the House of Commons that no-deal Brexit “automatically… creates a hard border that has to be controlled”. In this phrasing, a hard border does not seem to refer to the physical controls themselves – but merely a legal situation that would require physical controls.
What will happen to the police in Northern Ireland if no-deal?
In January, the Guardian revealed that almost 1,000 officers from England and Scotland would be trained for potential deployment to Northern Ireland if there was no-deal. It’s possible that police may have two functions: to prevent protests and violence; and using domestic policing to monitor smuggling and border regulation.