WINDSOR
FRAMEWORK - INTERNATIONAL
News:
Regulatory divergence and
the Windsor Framework
What's
in the news?
●
In February 2023, the UK and EU agreed the
‘Windsor Framework’ to amend the Protocol and address concerns about how the
border between GB and NI operates, but that was not enough to restore the
Assembly.
Windsor
Framework:
●
The ‘Windsor Framework’ will replace the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Northern
Ireland Protocol:
●
Northern Ireland is a British-ruled
province and part of the United Kingdom that shares a long porous border with
Ireland, a member of the European Union.
●
Trade over the open border when Britain
left the EU was one of the most difficult parts of the Brexit negotiations
which culminated in the Northern Ireland Protocol.
●
The
protocol is part of the Brexit deal, which sets Northern Ireland's trade rules.
●
It
keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods.
●
It keeps the Irish land border open but means products arriving into Northern
Ireland from the rest of the UK are subject to checks and controls.
●
The checks made trade between Great
Britain and Northern Ireland cumbersome.
Features
of Windsor Framework:
●
The framework has two crucial aspects –
the introduction of a two lanes system
and the ‘Stormont Brake’.
Two
Lanes:
●
Goods from Britain destined for Northern
Ireland will travel through a new "green lane", with a separate
"red lane" for goods at risk of moving onto the EU.
●
Products coming into Northern Ireland
through the green lane would see
checks and paperwork significantly reduced.
●
Red
lane
goods would still be subject to checks.
Bans
on certain products:
●
Like chilled sausages - entering Northern
Ireland from Great Britain would be removed.
Uniqueness:
●
Northern Ireland would also no longer have
to follow certain EU rules, for example, on VAT and alcohol duties.
●
The new agreement reduces the proportion
of EU rules applied in Northern Ireland to less than 3%.
Stormont
Brake:
●
Under this, the democratically elected Northern Ireland Assembly can oppose new EU
goods rules that would have significant and lasting effects on everyday
lives in Northern Ireland.
●
The brake cannot be used for "trivial
reasons" but reserved for "significantly different" rules.
●
Once the UK tells the EU the brake has
been triggered, the rule cannot be implemented.
●
It can only be applied if the UK and EU
agree.