The UK and European Union (EU) agreed to a new deal bringing an end to the long-standing impasse over trading arrangements in Northern Ireland since Brexit. The deal, known as the Windsor Framework, will ease post-Brexit regulations when it comes to the movement of goods from the UK to Northern Ireland. The framework, if adopted by the British Parliament, will deal with the problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which had de facto established a Customs border between the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland after Brexit.

The deal was announced after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met at the Fairmont Hotel in the Windsor Castle Estate.

Here are some key points of the Windsor Framework.

Under the Windsor Framework, goods travelling to Northern Ireland will be categorised into ‘red lanes’ and ‘green lanes’ based on whether those goods will be transported onwards to Ireland. Goods that won’t be travelling to Ireland, which is part of the EU Single Market, won’t need as many document clearances. This will reduce the administrative burden on companies moving goods to Northern Ireland and also improve the availability of UK goods in Northern Ireland.

Businesses moving goods from the UK to Northern Ireland will no longer have to declare exports and the ban on the transport of many goods between the two will also be removed.

The movement of pets between the UK and Northern Ireland will now be easier. Pet owners will no longer need vet-issued health certificates and proof of up-to-date rabies vaccination, along with recent tapeworm treatment for dogs.

Medicines available in Northern Ireland pharmacies will now be regulated by the UK drug regulator and not EU authorities.

Now, instead of EU’s tax rules, the UK’s VAT and excise rules will apply to certain goods like alcohol and immovable goods in Northern Ireland. The EU’s VAT will still apply to other items in the region.

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The Stormont Brake, called so for the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, will allow Northern Ireland legislators more control over what legislations apply to them. The brakes would allow Northern Ireland to veto any EU regulation that may affect it. If both the EU and the UK agree to the objection raised by the Stormont Brake, then the offending regulation will not be implemented. In case of disagreements between the UK and EU, both sides will have to resolve the dispute through arbitration.

After the deal, Britain announced that it will not proceed with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which planned to override some post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Feb 28, 2023 7:55 PM IST