About: Northern Ireland border
Little progress, little time left to resolve Irish customs row, warns UK minister
Little progress is being made towards breaking the impasse with the EU on the customs procedures for goods travelling to Northern Ireland and time is running out, the UK's Brexit minister David Frost admitted on Wednesday (16 June), adding that London was "keeping all options open".
UK’s sausage row with EU goes from bad to wurst
UK anger with Europe sizzled on Sunday (13 June) after a sausage-themed dispute between the British and French leaders over post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.
UK underestimated impact of Northern Ireland Protocol, concedes Frost
The UK government underestimated the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Brexit minister David Frost conceded on Monday (17 May), as he warned UK lawmakers that talks with EU officials had failed to break an impasse on the implementation of border checks.
Northern Ireland marks 100 years, divided
Northern Ireland marks its 100th year on Monday (3 May), but faltering efforts to commemorate the centenary encapsulate the rift at the heart of the British province.
MEPs lament ‘lose-lose’ situation as EU Parliament votes Brexit trade pact
The bruises left by the Brexit process were evident on Tuesday (27 April) even as EU lawmakers endorsed the trade deal that now governs economic relations between the UK and EU, almost five years after the UK voted to leave the bloc.
UK PM Johnson says deeply concerned by Northern Ireland violence
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was deeply concerned by scenes of violence in Northern Ireland after crowds of youths in a pro-British area of Belfast set a hijacked bus on fire and attacked police with stones.
New Brexit row after UK extends exemption to Irish border checks
The European Union has accused the UK government of breaking international law after it moved to unilaterally extend grace periods for Irish Sea border checks.
EU-UK to debate extensions for Irish customs waiver
EU and UK officials will discuss on Wednesday (24 February) the possibility of extending the ‘grace periods’ that exempt goods crossing the Irish Sea border from new customs checks introduced by the new trade arrangement.
Commission right to call London’s bluff
The UK Government has been shamelessly using the Commission’s gaffe about Article 16 of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol in its attempts to avoid the blame for post-Brexit problems and to lever additional concessions from Brussels, writes Dick Roche.
The Article 16 row is liable to happen again unless lessons are learned
The row over the European Commission's short-lived plan to use the Northern Ireland Protocol to stop exports of COVID-19 vaccines is over for now. But it could easily flare up again, writes John Bruton.
UK will demand ‘refinements’ to Irish protocol from EU, says Gove
The UK will demand that the EU agree to changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol in talks in the coming days, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said on Monday (8 February).
UK denies 68% drop in EU exports after Brexit deal
The UK government on Sunday (7 February) denied reports by road hauliers that exports to the EU fell by two thirds in the first month of the new UK-EU trade deal, saying: "We do not recognise this figure".
Leaders to push Brexit trade talks beyond latest deadline
London and Brussels agreed to more talks on a trade agreement, even though they still have a long way to go to avert a turbulent ‘no deal’ exit for Britain from the EU orbit at the end of the month.
EU offers UK soft landing with post-Brexit contingency plans
The European Commission tabled contingency measures on Thursday (10 December) to ensure basic reciprocal air and road connectivity between the EU and the UK, and mooted the prospect of temporary reciprocal fishing access by vessels to each other’s waters, as both sides started preparing for a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
Biden says UK border with Ireland must remain open
US President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday (24 November) he did not want to see a guarded border between Ireland and the United Kingdom, adding that he had previously discussed the matter with the British and Irish prime ministers and other European leaders.
UK unprepared for Brexit even if new trade deal is agreed, warns think tank
UK government authorities and businesses will not be prepared for life outside the EU’s single market regardless of whether talks on a post-Brexit trade deal bear fruit, the Institute for Government (IfG) think tank said on Tuesday (3 November).
The Irish Border and Brexit
The decision of the British people to leave the European Union will have important consequences both in Europe and in the UK, but Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland will be the most heavily impacted by Brexit.
No-deal Brexit makes hard border in Ireland ‘inevitable’, says Commission
A ‘no deal’ Brexit would ‘inevitably’ lead to the return of a hard border in Ireland, the European Commission’s chief spokesman said on Tuesday (22 January).