The deal, announced Monday by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is designed to replace existing rules that have been criticized for effectively creating a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, weakening the region's links to Britain.The government says the new arrangements, known as the Windsor Framework, will eliminate the need for customs checks on most goods shipped to Northern Ireland from other parts of the U.K.
But Unionist politicians in Northern Ireland, who want to maintain the region's historic links to Great Britain, demanded that the protocol be scrapped because they said it treated the region differently from other parts of the country and weakened its status as an integral part of the United Kingdom.
Products destined for use in Northern Ireland will now travel through a "green lane" without any checks other than those normally required for internal shipments. While those destined for the Republic of Ireland will still go through a "red lane," both sides have agreed to track those goods using technology and by sharing data from commercial declarations, reducing the need for border inspections.
As a result of the deal, some 1,700 pages of EU law will no longer apply in Northern Ireland. But about 3% of EU laws will still be applicable in the region, meaning there is a possibility that the European Court of Justice could still be involved in a small number of disputes.