IATE Term of the Week: Windsor Framework

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Three years after the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement by the European Union and the United Kingdom on January 30 2020, both parties continue to strive for the improvement of EU-UK relations. The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, which constitutes an integral part of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, was primarily designed to avoid the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland became an external EU land border. This matter quickly became central to Brexit negotiations, as the presence of a hard border put at risk Northern Ireland’s economy and the peace process, while its absence hindered the safeguard of the EU’s Single Market. Customs checks, carried out at Northern Ireland’s ports upon arrival of British goods, have been the origin of tensions within the UK, as for many they isolate Northern Ireland from the other three constituent countries.

In light of this, the European Commission and the UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced a new political agreement under the name of “Windsor Framework” on February 27 2023.

In IATE, this term is defined as the “political agreement in principle between the European Commission and the UK government for the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland”. In practice, the agreement seeks to address the issues affecting the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The Windsor Framework presents a new system that differentiates between goods destined solely for Northern Ireland, which will benefit from reduced checks and paperwork, and goods that are to enter the Republic and, therefore, the EU.

The main change brought by this new system is the distinction between the two types of goods, which will be subject to either ‘green lane’ controls (not for EU) or full ‘red lane’ controls (for EU). In order to protect the integrity of the EU Single Market, the UK will provide the EU with real-time access to its customs system data to carry out risk assessments.

The new arrangement, which has been widely welcomed, will also introduce changes to the current applicable legislation on medicines, parcels, VAT rates and pet travel. While some concerns remain on the effects of Brexit on Northern Ireland’s economy and the Irish peace process, the Windsor Framework has been regarded as a practical step towards achieving balance between the protection of UK interests on one side and EU interests on the other.

References:

Connelly, E., Doyle, J. 2019, Brexit and the Irish border, European journal of legal studies, SI, pp. 153-186. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/64673 (Accessed: March 21, 2023)

Szczepanski, M. 2023, The Windsor Framework – At a Glance. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_ATA(2023)745668  (Accessed: March 21, 2023)

The Windsor Framework: a new way forward (2023). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1138989/The_Windsor_Framework_a_new_way_forward.pdf (Accessed: March 21, 2023)

The Windsor Framework: a new way forward for the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (2023). Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/fs_23_1272   (Accessed: March 21, 2023).

Written by Paula López Mínguez

Born in Ponferrada, Spain, Paula holds a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Salamanca. Her interest for the British Isles led her to spend one academic year at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, thanks to the Erasmus+ programme. After working in translation quality assurance and project management in the private sector, she is now a Schuman Trainee at the Quality Coordination Unit in the EP’s DG for Translation.