After years of negotiations, the UK and the EU finally reached an agreement on Brexit and the Northern Irish Protocol.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met in London on Monday to sign off on the final agreement and unveil the new Windsor Framework.
After years of disagreement, a major breakthrough was reached between the UK and the EU.
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But what was the delay and disagreement all about?
What is the Northern Irish Protocol?
When the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland became a major issue.
Both EU and UK rules required certain checks at external borders. However, the Good Friday Agreement posed difficulties as there could not be a “hard border” between the Republic and the North.
The Northern Irish Protocol was devised in an attempt to deal with the issues that had arisen.
It meant that while Northern Ireland was outside the EU single market, goods could still move freely from the EU to the region. This allowed goods to move freely across the Irish border.
However, restrictions would apply to goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of Great Britain and checks and additional paperwork would be required.
What was the problem?
Unionists stated that the protocol separated Northern Ireland from the rest of Great Britain and created an effective customs border in the Irish Sea.
This angered Unionists, particularly the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
There were also sporadic outbreaks of violence linked to the protocol following its introduction in January 2021, but they were not widespread or sustained.
Following an election in Northern Ireland in May 2021, the DUP refused to reenter the Northern Irish Assembly until the protocol issue was sorted. Its boycott has meant that the Assembly cannot sit.
The EU has been working with the UK over the last number of years to try to find a solution. However, former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss both failed to find a solution. Negotiations intensified when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October 2022.
What is the new agreement?
The new “Windsor Framework” was agreed by Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen on Monday.
Under the agreement, goods destined for Northern Ireland will move through a “green lane”.
This means traders moving goods destined for Northern Ireland will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties.
All goods destined for the EU will use the red lane.
The green lane will be expanded to include food retailers such as supermarkets and hospitality businesses. Retailers will mark goods as “not for EU”, with a phased rollout of this requirement to give them time to adjust.
Chilled meats like sausages, which were banned under the old Protocol, can move freely into Northern Ireland like other retail food products.
The new Stormont Break, meanwhile, can stop EU good laws from applying to Northern Ireland. This “emergency break” gives the UK Government a veto if required.
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