Details of the UK government’s agreement with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to end a nearly two-year boycott of the power-sharing parliament (pictured) at Stormont, announced on Wednesday, are set out in European Union law and goods. This marks the end of automatic customs checks for people entering the country from the rest of the UK. File photo: Mark Marlow/EPA-EFE
January 31 (UPI) — Details of an agreement between the British government and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party announced on Wednesday to end a nearly two-year boycott of the power-sharing government include automatic application of European Union law and customs checks on goods entering the country from Northern Ireland. suggests the end of main land.
The 76-page “Protecting the Union” directive document was presented to MPs on Thursday ahead of new legislation codifying changes that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s government hopes to pass in the Commons.
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Other measures include the establishment of a new trade body, the East-West Council, to arbitrate disputes, and a ministerial meeting on Northern Ireland to be held at least every 12 months.
Two of the bills would reaffirm Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom and guarantee “free access” to the British internal market for all Northern Irish products.
Parts of the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Act will also be amended to end the “automatic pipeline of EU law” and allow laws applicable to Northern Ireland to be “subject to democratic oversight by the Stormont Parliament”.
The surprise development came during Tuesday after the DUP accepted a deal to restore power-sharing and the UK and EU signed an agreement allowing changes to the Windsor Framework that would allow Northern Ireland to benefit from UK trade. I started. We also do business with other countries.
However, Northern Ireland will also retain its own access to the EU single market.
DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson said on Wednesday that the deal would remove the border in the middle of the Irish Sea and separate Northern Ireland from the UK’s internal market.
He told the BBC: “Our aim was to remove the Irish Sea border for goods coming in from the UK and that is what we have achieved.”
“There is no longer a need for a customs declaration when bringing goods into Northern Ireland for sale.”
There will also be no physical inspection of goods bound for Northern Ireland at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Donaldson also praised Mr Sunak for achieving where his predecessor had failed.
“Rishi Sunak has worked with us, the Secretary of State has worked with us and the Downing Street team has worked with us to deliver these changes.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed the deal in parliament on Wednesday, saying it was “the right deal for Northern Ireland and the Union”.
“With this policy, it is time for Northern Ireland’s elected representatives to come together, end two years of deadlock, and get back to work in the interests of the people who elected them.”
The power-sharing executive, which includes the DUP and nationalist Sinn Féin along with two other mainstream parties, is set to reopen on Friday, giving it a chance to pay for public services that have been sitting idle in the Westminster Treasury. This would free up $4.2 billion in needed funding. safe.